Biografier

To read this magnificent biography of Leonardo da Vinci is to take a tour through the life and works of one of the most extraordinary human beings of all time in the company of the most engaging, informed, and insightful guide imaginable. Walter Isaacson is at once a true scholar and a spellbinding writer. And what a wealth of lessonsthereare to be learned in these pages. David McCullough Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo's astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo's genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy. He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history's most creative genius. His creativity, like that of other great innovators, came from having wide-ranging passions. He peeled flesh off the faces of cadavers, drew the muscles that move the lips, and then painted history's most memorable smile. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. Isaacson also describes how Leonardo's lifelong enthusiasm for staging theatrical productions informed his paintings and inventions. Leonardo's delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance of instilling, both in ourselves and our children, not just received knowledge but a willingness to question itto be imaginative and, like talented misfits and rebels in any era, to think different.

The life of one of America's founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton.

In 1926, de Saint-Exupery began flying for the airline Latecoere - later known as Aeropostale - opening up the first mail routes across the Sahara and the Andes. This autobiographical narrative combines encounters with nomadic Arabs and other adventures. It includes the story of his crash in the Libyan Desert in 1936, and his miraculous survival.

A landmark manifesto New York TimesThe ground-breaking, international bestseller with over two million copies sold that launched a new movement to empower women everywhere. Sheryl Sandberg s Lean In has ignited global conversations about gender roles and ambition. Ask most women whether they have the right to equality at work and the answer will be a resounding yes. But ask the same woman if they'd feel confident asking for a raise, promotion, or equal pay, and reticence can creep in.In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg Facebook COO and one of Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business draws on her own experience of working in some of the world's most successful businesses to show how women can empower themselves, unlock top leadership roles and achieve their full potential.

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of My Story by Steven Gerrard, read Michael Ryan. Steven Gerrard is the former captain of Liverpool football team and of the England national football team, and is the only player ever to have scored in a FA cup final, a league cup final, a UEFA cup final and a champions league final. His entire career, since 1998, has been spent at Anfield with Liverpool. In this book he charts his full playing career, shedding light on the defining games, his life off the pitch as well as the players and managers hes encountered. Explosive, controversial and searingly honest, this will be the last word from an era-defining player.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY BENJAMIN MARKOVITSIn 1845 Thoreau, a Harvard-educated 28-year-old, went to live by himself in the woods in Massachusetts.

Kevin Mitnick's long-awaited memoir of computer hacking and FBI skirting, revealed now after seven years of government-mandated silence.

Working as a prison guard in St Petersburgs notorious Kresty Prison, the author diligently recorded over 3,000 criminal tattoos, documenting their meanings within this closed society. This title explores the extremes of this collection.

The astonishing, forgotten story of the hero who escaped from Auschwitz to reveal the truth of the Holocaust.

The definitive biography of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, detailing the remarkable rise and political brilliance of the most powerful - and elusive - woman in the world.

Few books have had such an impact as Wild Swans: a popular bestseller which has sold more than 13 million copies and a critically acclaimed history of China; a tragic tale of nightmarish cruelty and an uplifting story of bravery and survival.

Utterly compelling and brutally honest self-portrait of a troubled Premier League star.

'The biggest threat to our freedom in the 21st century isn't coronavirus but hysterically woke liberals trying to kill democracy by suppressing free speech.

An intimate, revealing look at one artist's journey from self-censorship to full expression

A funny, insightful memoir by much-loved documentary maker Louis Theroux, who takes us on a weird and wonderful journey through his life and two decades of groundbreaking television.

The story of the relationship between the most devastating heavyweight boxer in history and the mentor who made him.

The unimaginable success of a gambling and investment legend

The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle, and the source for Clint Eastwood's blockbuster movie which was nominated for six academy awards, including best picture. From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history.

The definitive illustrated biography of one of the most unique and beloved children's authors of the 20th century, the creator of the Moomins. Tove Jansson (1914-2001) led a long, colourful and productive life, impacting significantly the political, social and cultural history of 20th-century Finland. And while millions of children have grown up with Little My, Snufkin, Moomintroll and the many creatures of Moominvalley, the life of Jansson - daughter, friend and companion - is more touching still. This book weaves together the myriad qualities of a painter, author, illustrator, scriptwriter and lyricist from fraught beginnings through fame, war and heartbreak and ultimately to a peaceful end.