From the Publisher
The Mona Lisa... Why did Leonardo da Vinci lavish three years on a painting of the second wife of an unimportant merchant when all the nobles of Europe were begging for a portrait by his hand?
No one knows for sure. But this story of Leonardo, his wayward apprentice Salai, and the Duke of Milan's plain young wife, Beatrice d'Este, may hold the clue to the most famous -- and puzzling -- painting of all time.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
E. L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery Medal and be runner-up in the same year. In 1968
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the Newbery Medal and
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was named Newbery Honor Book. Almost thirty years later she won the Newbery Medal once again for
The View From Saturday. She has also written and illustrated three picture books:
Samuel Todd's Book of Great Colors,
Samuel Todd's Book of Great Inventions, and
Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's. In 2000 she wrote
Silent to the Bone, which was named a
New York Times Notable Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, among many other honors.
After completing her degree at Carnegie Mellon University, Ms. Konigsburg did graduate work in organic chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. For several years she taught science at a private girls' school. When the third of her three children started kindergarten, she began to write. She now lives on the beach in North Florida.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
