Foreword -- Preface -- Note to the Readers -- Abbreviations -- 1 Leonardo and the "Others": Engineers and Inventors of the Early Italian Renaissance -- 2 Cupolas and Machines -- 3 A Codex "Atlanticus": A Book Thief, Jokes, and Fake Bicycles -- 4 Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines -- 5 Flotation, Walking on Water, and Diving Under the Sea -- 6 Paddle Boats, Submarines, and Other Sea Vessels -- 7 Wind Chariots and "Automobiles" -- 8 Perpetuum Mobile -- 9 Homo ad Circulum -- 10 A Friend, an Enigmatic Portrait, and Two Duchesses -- 11 The Divine Proportion -- 12 The Geometry of Shapes and Unfashionable Headgear -- 13 The Measure of Time -- 14 Mission Impossible: Squaring the Circle -- 15 A Lost Industrial Revolution and Leonardo's Gun -- 16 Beyond Leonardo -- Appendix 1 -- Appendix 2.

This engaging book places Leonardo da Vinci’s scientific achievements within the wider context of the rapid development that occurred during the Renaissance. It demonstrates how his contributions were not in fact born of isolated genius, but rather part of a rich period of collective advancement in science and technology, which began at least 50 years prior to his birth. Readers will discover a very special moment in history, when creativity and imagination were changing the future—shaping our present. They will be amazed to discover how many technological inventions had already been conceived or even designed by the engineers and inventors who preceded Leonardo, such as Francesco di Giorgio and Taccola, the so-called Siena engineers. This engaging volume features a wealth of illustrations from a variety of original sources, such as manuscripts and codices, enabling the reader to see and judge for him or herself the influence that other Renaissance engineers and inventors had on Leonardo.