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Da Vinci's Ghost: Genius, Obsession, and How Leonardo Created the World in His Own Image Kindle Edition

by Toby Lester (Author)

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In Da Vinci's Ghost, critically acclaimed historian Toby Lester tells the story of the world’s most iconic image, the Vitruvian Man, and sheds surprising new light on the artistry and scholarship of Leonardo da Vinci, one of history’s most fascinating figures.

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

Da Vinci didn’t summon Vitruvian Man out of thin air. He was inspired by the idea originally formulated by the Roman architect Vitruvius, who suggested that the human body could be made to fit inside a circle, long associated with the divine, and a square, related to the earthly and secular. To place a man inside those shapes was to imply that the human body could indeed be a blueprint for the workings of the universe. Da Vinci elevated Vitruvius’ idea to exhilarating heights when he set out to do something unprecedented, if the human body truly reflected the cosmos, he reasoned, then studying its anatomy more thoroughly than had ever been attempted before—peering deep into body and soul—might grant him an almost godlike perspective on the makeup of the world.

Written with the same narrative flair and intellectual sweep as Lester’s award-winning first book, the “almost unbearably thrilling” (Simon Winchester) Fourth Part of the World, and beautifully illustrated with Da Vinci's drawings, Da Vinci’s Ghost follows Da Vinci on his journey to understanding the secrets of the Vitruvian man. It captures a pivotal time in Western history when the Middle Ages were giving way to the Renaissance, when art, science, and philosophy were rapidly converging, and when it seemed possible that a single human being might embody—and even understand—the nature of the universe.

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Product Details

File Size: 24990 KB
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Free Press (February 7, 2012)
Publication Date: February 7, 2012
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B005FLOEJC
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Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,445 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #58 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Art > Art History > Schools, Periods & Styles > Renaissance
- #79 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Art > Art History > Regional > European
- #146 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Europe > Renaissance

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Historian Toby Lester Reveals His Favorite...

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102 of 106 people found the following review helpful

Complex Story Vividly Told

By las cosas on February 7, 2012

Format: Kindle Edition

Little is known about Leonardo Da Vinci's drawing known as Vitruvian Man (drawing of naked man, limbs spread, square in a circle...you know). The author argues that it is possibly the most recognized drawing in existence, but it lives within a folder locked away in Venice, and little is known about its history. Seldom seen, little understood, yet an immediately recognizable iconic reference to the Italian Renaissance and its humanist ideals. Lester sets for himself a difficult double quest, and I believe he has fulfilled each fairly well.

This quest is to explain the importance of Vitruvian Man by placing it in historical prospective, and also explaining how it fits into the life of Leonardo. There are three main hurdles the author must overcome in order to succeed in this quest.

The first hurdle is that the author attempts to tell a complex story in a very, very short book: 225 pages plus another 70 pages of notes, index, etc. The second is that it assumes that the reader knows no European history, and thus absolutely anything he wants to include of historical significance, he must explain. Medieval Europe, guilds, Augustus, Hildegarde of Bingen. Long list of fairly basic historical facts needing definitions, not much space in which to accomplish this. Third hurdle, we know almost nothing of Leonardo's life outside what he left in his notebooks. This requires a seemingly endless number of 'it is probable that' 'the odds are good that'...Read more ›

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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

Simply Terrific!

By Alan Cantor on February 12, 2012

Format: Hardcover

A gem of a book! Lester takes strands from history, theology, art, science, architecture, and medicine and weaves a tapestry that had me turning the pages. I enjoyed every word and illustration. And Lester creates a memorable - and economical - portrait of Leonardo and his times.

I loved The Fourth Part of the World: An Astonishing Epic of Global Discovery, Imperial Ambition, and the Birth of America, and now I loved Da Vinci's Ghost: both books will really stick with me.

I can't wait so see what Lester does next. I rank him with Charles Mann, Adam Hochschild, and John M. Barry on my list of brilliant and thought-provoking nonfiction writers and thinkers.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Why has no one else ever tried to tell the story of the Vitruvian Man...until now?

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on September 14, 2012

Format: Hardcover

I cannot recall another book in recent years that I enjoyed reading more than I did Toby Lester's account of how "Leonardo created the world in his own image." In fact, I have twice re-read it before sharing my thoughts about it. The question that serves as this review's title was posed by Lester and he then set about to do what no one had done before. "On the surface, the story seems straightforward enough. Writing at the dawn of the Roman imperial age, Vitruvius proposed that a man be made to fit inside a circle and a square, and some fifteen hundred years later Leonardo gave that idea memorable visual form. But there's much more to the story than that." Indeed, with the skills of a storyteller and the relentless curiosity of a cultural anthropologist as well as the erudition of an art historian, Lester enables his reader to return in time to an age and an era unlike any other before or since: the Italian Renaissance and its human fulfillment, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452-1519). Lester's narrative is developed on two separate but related levels: a sequence of events from ancient Rome until Leonardo's time, and, key developments in Leonardo's life and work, including one drawing (more about it later).

With regard to the meaning and significance of this book's title, consider these observations with which Lester concludes the book: "Brought into being more than a millennium ago and born of concepts far older still the picture [i.e. Leonardo's drawing of Vitruvian Man] contains whole lost worlds of information, ideas, stories, and patterns of thought. But look the subject directly in the eye, and you'll also see Leonardo da Vinci, staring out at you from the page.Read more ›

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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

Bravo!

By Dianne Hales on February 12, 2012

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

With rigorous research, inspired insight and graceful writing, Toby Lester brings to light--and life--an unexplored dimension of Leonardo's genius. A tour de force for lovers of art, science, history, Italy and great story-telling. Yes, the plates add much to the text, and I highly recommend the paper rather than the digital edition. I find myself going back and savoring them again and again.

La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language

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12 of 17 people found the following review helpful

Da Vinci's Ghost" is written with intellectual sweep rekindling the wonder of imagination that only a ghost can inspire!

By Didaskalex VINE VOICE on February 10, 2012

Format: Hardcover

****
"He from whom nothing is hidden created me, and I have all measure in me, both of what is heavenly above and what is earthly and infernal. And who understands himself understands much." --Plate 7 Caption

It was a hot summer day, as I approached Castello Sforzesco, a 15th century castle that served as a residence for Milan's ducal family. The curators of Michelangelo's art collection and Leonardo DaVinci*'s Codex are located in a majestic contoured garden, not far from La Scala, Milan's center. I was taken by the artistic posters of the Vetruvian man, Da Vinci's ingenious creation, whom the Milanese did not cease, all summer to pay homage to Leonardo's creative genius. The unique Vitruvian design became the substitute icon of the cosmos, in human form. Leonardo's geometric perfection and vivid anatomy, may have opened the scope of his design, to include a metaphysical parameter as well as the mundane dimension. Vitruvian Man provides an integral perspective of the dual makeup of humanity, in a unique visual expression.

The story of Vitruvian Man, in a circle and a square, has become the Renaissance's cultural icon. It celebrates the nature of 'Leonardo's genius', the beauty of the human form, and the character of the human spirit. Leonardo did not summon Vitruvian Man out of the blue, he was meditating on the universal concept, that the human body could be fitted in a circle's circumference, the mystical symbol of eternity, and a square that represented the four material elements of earthly life. It was prescribed by a Roman architect, Vitruvius who implied that the human body was a microcosm, an idea that fascinated Europeans the religious and astronomers for centuries, and Leonardo got hooked to it in an intellectual trap.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

A Great Read

This is an excellent read. Lester kept my interest piqued right to the end. I can well imagine the research that went into making this book, and respect to the author for his... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Pauline Schindler

Excellent

An excellent, easy read. I have read a ton of books on Da Vinci and was pleased that this wasn't another cookie cutter version of his life. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Joanne T. Lewis

It is no waste of time

I could not have imagined the phylosophical context of this painting by Leonardo. The concept of the microcosm translates the idea that everything in the universe is intricately... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Luis Eduardo A. Camargo

Interesting for DaVinci fans.

You may not have known it was called the "Vitruvian Man" but you are doubtless familiar with the Da Vinci's drawing of the man with the intense stare in the circle and... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Fred Forbes

Five Stars

Best book on Da Vinci!

Published 10 months ago by Nilay Modi

A very good book but ...

This was a well written book with great information. I was surprised, however, that the book ended when I was just beyond the half way point. Read more

Published 11 months ago by Marc from Cleveland

Great birthday present

This made a great birthday present. The order was very timely and it was an overall good experience. Way to go! Read more

Published 14 months ago by Adam Phenicie

Missing focus

Having recently visited Florence I was motivated to learn more about Leonardo da Vinci so I read "Da Vinci's Ghost" by Toby Lester. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Daniel Dundon

If you can get it cheap, I'd recommend it

I loved Lester's first work, and in this he stretches way back to antiquity again to talk about an image at the end of the Renaissance. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Gene Rhea Tucker

Detailed but Fascinating

I have always been fascinated with Leonardo Da Vinci. Teaching my fifth graders about the history of science increased my fascination, as did reading Leonardo Da Vinci by Kathleen... Read more

Published 19 months ago by K. M. Martin

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