Leonardo da Vinci

Well researched book with lots of smart interpretations where evidence is missing or sparse.

Isaacson himself narrates the introduction and conclusion, with the rest narrated by a Britsih-accented reader. An odd choice, I thought, although maybe he won the job based on his Italian, which sounded quite good. In any case, the book was fascinating, and I learned a great deal about both Leonardo and the Italian Renaissance. Not surprisingly, though, given that the subject died 500 years ago, there is a lot that is uncertain about Leonardo and his work, but that doesn't prevent Isaacson from speculating. While the speculation is always credible, it's still unsettling.

Listening to the audiobook, one doesn't have at hand the wonderful illustrations. There is a pdf of the illustrations available for downloading, but still if you're listening on the go you can't consult that document. I also borrowed the physical book from the library so I could see the illustrations there.

Walter Isaacson never disappoints. Although I had to be especially concentrated with the amount of detail described in each page.