Toby Lester, DaVinci’s Ghost: Genius, Obsession, and How Leonardo Created the World in His Own Image
03/01/2012 7:00 pm
“Like
almost everyone, I’ve seen Leonardo’s drawing of the nude man in the
circle. But until I read Toby Lester’s terrific new book, I had no idea
about the story behind the picture--or even that there was a story
behind the picture. Deftly weaving together art, architecture, history,
theology, and much else, Da Vinci’s Ghost is a first-rate intellectual
enchantment.” Charles Mann, author of 1493
“Every
once in a while that rare book comes along that is not only wonderfully
written and utterly compelling but also alters the way you perceive the
world. Toby Lester’s Da Vinci’s Ghost is such a book. Like a detective,
Lester uncovers the secrets of an iconic drawing and pieces together a
magisterial history of art and ideas and beauty.” David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z
Toby
Lester is a contributing editor to and has written extensively for The
Atlantic. A former PeaceCorps volunteer and United Nations observer, he
lives in the Boston area with his wife and three daughters. His previous
book, The Fourth Part of the World, about the map that gave America its
name, was a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers
Award and was picked as a Book of the Year by several publications. His
work has also been featured on This American Life.
“Like
almost everyone, I’ve seen Leonardo’s drawing of the nude man in the
circle. But until I read Toby Lester’s terrific new book, I had no idea
about the story behind the picture--or even that there was a story
behind the picture. Deftly weaving together art, architecture, history,
theology, and much else, Da Vinci’s Ghost is a first-rate intellectual
enchantment.”
