Leonardo da Vinci: The Universal Genius by Iris Noble
Leonardo da Vinci: The Universal Genius
An Engaging, Meticulously Researched Biography and Master Reference Tool of the High Renaissance Mind
An Engaging, Meticulously Researched Biography and Master Reference Tool of the High Renaissance Mind
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Leonardo da Vinci: The Universal Genius
- Author: Iris Noble
- Publisher: Blackie & Son Ltd, London / Glasgow
- Publication Date: 1965
- ISBN-13: Not Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
- Edition Details: First UK Edition, First Printing. Specially curated for the young adult market.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium cloth-bound hardcover casing with robust structural spine titles.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 190 pages. Richly enhanced with black-and-white facsimiles of the master's historic drawings, scientific codices, and timeless paintings. Includes a comprehensive bibliography, a structured location chart of major works, and a meticulous multi-category index mapping historical figures, places, and artistic achievements.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
-
The Book: Used - Good (G) / Ex-Library Copy
- Exterior / Boards: The original cloth hardcover binding remains structurally secure, firm, and complete. Panels lay flat and square, showing only minimal vintage edge wear and shelf-rubbing consistent with a respected library asset. The spine is robustly intact, showing no linear shelf-lean or vertical collapse under the signatures.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound with an exceptionally firm, tight original binding. The internal pages are remarkably clean, crisp, and highly legible. This volume carries a fascinating institutional layer of provenance, being an ex-library copy featuring the expected historical stamps, ink catalog markers, and paper pastings on the preliminary endpapers. Free of modern user handwriting, heavy ink bleeding, or torn leaf sheets.
- Preservation Status: This volume has been meticulously upgraded and comes protected with a fresh, crisp Cellophane cover that beautifully stabilizes the exterior boards, halts any future handling wear, and presents a highly presentable profile on a collector's shelf.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Included / Not Applicable (Ex-Library As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1965 at a time when historical biography writing for young scholars reached new literary heights, Leonardo da Vinci: The Universal Genius remains a brilliant, highly sought-after narrative account of history's ultimate polymath. Written in an engaging, beautifully accessible, and easy-to-read story style, the book bridges the gap between dense academic art history and fast-paced narrative biography.
Renowned historical writer Iris Noble tracks Leonardo's staggering trajectory from a young apprentice in Verrocchio’s Florence workshop to the absolute apex of the High Renaissance. The text delves deeply into the point-by-point intersection of his strategic engineering mind and his divine artistic execution—unpacking how his secret anatomical dissections, military blueprints, and aerodynamic studies directly informed masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Extensively illustrated with beautiful black-and-white facsimiles of the master’s actual notebooks and anatomical sketches, this scarce 1960s British printing serves as both a primary historical record of mid-century educational literature and an exceptional reference tool for fine art bibliophiles and vintage collectors alike.
Author Profile: Iris Noble
Iris Noble (1922–1986) was an exceptionally distinguished, award-winning international author, historical biographer, and veteran investigative journalist. Renowned globally for her peerless narrative pacing, meticulous research methodology, and deep cultural sensitivity, Noble traveled extensively across Europe to visit remote private correspondence archives, original museum collections, and historic locations to ground her biographies with absolute academic honesty.
Over an illustrious career, she authored numerous critically acclaimed historical profiles mapping the lives of monumental figures—including classic volumes on Marie Curie, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Clarence Darrow. Her unique literary talent allows her to cut through dry encyclopedia summaries to capture the emotional grit, psychological complexities, and human struggles of historic geniuses, transforming primary archival logs into polished, definitive historical records that remain highly prized by antiquarian book collectors worldwide.
iris noble leonardo da vinci universal genius used collectible book rare art history books renaissance biography 1965 blackie first edition hardcover ex library copy illustrations bibliography index #
