Leonardo is the greatest most multi-faceted & most mysterious of all Renaissance artists but extraordinarily considering his enormous reputation this is the first full-length biography in English for several decades. Prize-winning author Charles Nicholl has immersed himself for five years in all the manuscripts paintings & artefacts to produce an intimate portrait of Leonardo. He uses these contemporary materials
- his notebooks & sketchbooks eye witnesses & early biographies etc
- as a way into the mental tone & physical texture of his life & has made myriad small discoveries about him & his work & his circle of associates. Among much else the book identifies what Nicholl argues is an unknown portrait of the artist hanging in a church near Lodi in northern Italy. It also contains new material on his eccentric assistant Tomasso Masini on his homosexual affairs in Florence & on his curious relationship with a female model and/or prostitute from Cremona. A masterpiece of modern biography.

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Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) possessed one of the greatest minds of all time; his importance & influence are inestimable. This XXL-format comprehensive survey is the most complete book ever made on the subject of this Italian painter sculptor architect engineer scientist & all-around genius. With huge full-bleed details of Leonardos masterworks this highly original publication allows the reader to inspect the subtlest facets of his brushstrokes. Part I explores Leonardos life & work in ten chapters drawing upon his letters contracts diary entries & writings. All of his paintings are presented & interpreted in depth with The Annunciation & The Last Supper featured on fold-out pages. Part II comprises a catalogue raisonne of Leonardos paintings which covers all of his surviving & lost painted works &

Includes:: texts describing their states of preservation. Each & every painting that can be justifiably attributed to Leonardo is included here; thanks to new findings & scientific research this is the first time his definitive painting oeuvre is being published. Part III contains an extensive catalogue of his drawings (numbering in the thousands they cannot all be reproduced in one book); 663 are presented arranged by category (architecture technical anatomical figures proportion cartography etc). Over half of the drawings included were provided by Windsor Castle marking the first time that the Castle has allowed a publisher to reproduce so many of their drawings. This sumptuous Taschen offering is the most thorough & beautifully produced Leonardo book ever published.

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Now available for the first time in paperback this book remains the definitive survey of the life & work of Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington (born 1917). Carrington burst onto the Surrealist scene in 1936 when as a precocious nineteen-year-old debutante she escaped the stultifying demands of her wealthy English family by running away to Paris with her lover Max Ernst. She was immediately championed by Andre Breton who responded enthusiastically to her fantastical dark & satirical writing style & her interest in fairy tales & the occult. Her stories were included in Surrealist publications & her paintings in the Surrealists' exhibitions. After the dramas & tragic separations of the Second World War Carrington ended up in the 1940s as part of the circle of Surrealist European emigres living in Mexico City. Close friends with Luis Bunuel Benjamin Peret Octavio Paz & a host of both expatriate Surrealists & Mexican modernists Carrington was at the centre of Mexican cultural life while still maintaining her European connections. Leonora Carrington: Surrealism Alchemy & Art" provides a fascinating overview of this intriguing artist's rich body of work. The author considers Carrington's preoccupation with alchemy & the occult & explores the influence of indigenous Mexican culture & beliefs on her production." ...

From the bestselling author of The Snowman
- an explosive new thriller. In the depths of winter a killer stalks the city streets.
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Includes: RECENTLY DISCOVERED NEW MATERIAL In the spring of 1860 Fabrizio the charismatic Prince of Salina still rules
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Development of the Leopard 1 can be traced back to November 1956 when the operational requirement for a new battle tank was formulated by the Federal German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). Originally a Franco-German project the tank under design was named the ' Standard-Panzer'. The French later dropped out however & on 1 October 1963 the ' Standard' tank was officially named ' Leopard' an appropriate choice considering Germany's wartime pedigree with the formidable Tiger & Panther. This book traces the development & service record of the Leopard 1 detailing its control systems modifications & variants. ...

Get your one-stop guide for understanding & raising this popular pet lizard. Reptiles are now kept in one out of every seven pet homes so its no surprise that millions have gone gaga for geckos. This fun easy-to-follow guide provides the scoop on caring for these colorful gentle creatures with savvy tips on everything from diet & exercise to housing & veterinary care. The book covers how to properly handle a gecko what to do if a gecko drops his tail how to keep the right cage temperatures ways to protect geckos from other pets & where to find the best supplies. Liz Palika (Oceanside CA) is an award-winning pet writer with more than 45 books to her credit including Turtles & Tortoises For Dummies. ...

Craig Mellow acclaimed author but unhappy exile seizes the chance to return to Zimbabwe when he is given a spying mission for the World Bank. Accompanied by beautiful photographer Sally-Anne Jay he is at first unaware of the dangerous currents of tribal conflict that swirl below the calm surface of Zimbabwean politics. Then he stumbles upon a highly organized ivory-poaching operation which masks the treacherous plot to sell the country he once fought for into slavery.. . ...

Britannia has been subdued
- & an epic new chapter in Marcus Valerius Aquila's life begins. The murderous Roman agents who nearly
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Britannia has been subdued
- & an epic new chapter in Marcus Valerius Aquilas life begins. The murderous Roman agents who nearly
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