The Codex Leicester Instant

In 1994, the Microsoft founder paid for the manuscript at a Christie’s auction. That’s roughly $500,000 per page. At the time, it was the most expensive book ever sold. (Gates later had it scanned into a digital format for Windows 95 CD-ROMs—a perfect marriage of Renaissance curiosity and digital futurism). Water: The Star of the Show What did Leonardo obsess over in these 72 pages? Water.

Leonardo wrote the Codex Leicester because he couldn't not know. He wasn't trying to publish a book; he was trying to talk to himself about the universe. the codex leicester

It adds a layer of mystery. You feel like you are decoding a secret message from a time traveler. We live in the age of specialization. You are a "doctor" or a "lawyer" or a "programmer." Leonardo hated that. The Codex Leicester is a manifesto for generalists. In 1994, the Microsoft founder paid for the

Leonardo was left-handed, and it’s believed he wrote this way to avoid smudging wet ink as his hand dragged across the page. To read it, you literally have to hold the page up to a mirror. (Gates later had it scanned into a digital