Leonardo da Vinci: The Flights of the Mind

Leonardo da Vinci: The Flights of the Mind by Charles Nicholl is a richly detailed biography that humanizes the Renaissance genius, portraying him not merely as a mythical figure but as a complex individual shaped by his illegitimate birth, family dynamics, and relentless curiosity about the natural world. Nicholl meticulously explores Leonardo’s life in Tuscany and beyond, delving into his unfinished projects, obsessions with flight, engineering, and alchemical pursuits, while retranslating his mirror-script notebooks and grounding romanticized legends in historical evidence. Through vivid reconstructions of his daily existence—from dandyish habits like scented hands to speculative ties between childhood dreams and later artworks—the book reveals a dreamy yet practical man whose flights of the mind drove innovations amid political intrigue and personal flaws. Critics praise its patient attention to detail and dismissal of Freudian overreach, offering an intimate view of Leonardo as an engineer-poet navigating genius and imperfection.