Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man

Leonardo da Vinci was not only one of the leading artists of the Renaissance, he was also one of the greatest anatomists ever to have lived. He combined, to a unique degree, manual skill in dissection, analytical skill in understanding the structures he uncovered, and artistic skill in recording his results. Leonardo's campaign of human dissection carried out during 1510-11 was recorded on the pages of a manuscript now in the Print Room at Windsor Castle known as Anatomical Manuscript A. These are extensively annotated in Leonardo's distinctive mirrorwriting, which is translated here for the first time on the page. So that the unfolding of his thoughts can be followed by both the specialist and the general reader.