How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci Seven steps to genius every day

Michael Gelb

Book - 1998

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Subjects
Published
New York : Delacorte Press 1998.
Language
English
Main Author
Michael Gelb (-)
Physical Description
xiv, 322 p. : ill
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9780385323819
  • Preface: "Born of the Sun"
  • Part 1.
  • Introduction: Your Brain Is Much Better than You Think
  • Learning from Leonardo
  • A Practical Approach to Genius
  • The Renaissance, Then and Now
  • The Life of Leonardo da Vinci
  • Major Accomplishments
  • Part 2.
  • The Seven Da Vincian Principles
  • Curiosita
  • Dimostrazione
  • Sensazione
  • Sfumato
  • Arte/Scienza
  • Corporalita
  • Connessione
  • Conclusion: Leonardo's Legacy
  • Part 3.
  • The Beginner's Da Vinci Drawing Course
  • Il Cavallo: Rebirth of a Dream
  • Leonardo da Vinci Chronology Life and Times
  • Recommended Reading
  • Resources
  • List of Illustrations
Review by Booklist Review

No matter how diligently we apply ourselves, the truth is few of us will achieve Leonard da Vinci's intellectual level. Yet it's also true that in many ways the brain is much like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger your brain becomes. What Gelb does here, then, is to instruct us on the many ways we can flex, and improve, our intellects. Following a brief biography of da Vinci, Gelb, founder of High Performance Learning, lays out seven broad steps for working our brains with a variety of exercises applicable to each step. Throughout, Gelb weaves in examples from da Vinci's life, especially drawing from the great man's notebooks. The cumulative effect is quite impressive: a celebration of da Vinci's many achievements, matched with a convincing analysis of how readers can improve their mental prowess. A unique addition to self-help holdings. --Brian McCombie

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Founder and president of the High Performance Learning Center, Gelb, in seminars and workshops and now in this book, offers "the Seven Da Vincian Principles" for learning how to approach life like a genius. He uses Leonardo's native Italian language to label these principles: "curiosita" (curiosity and continuous learning), "dimostrazione" (learning from experience), "sensazione" (sensory awareness), "sfumato" (accepting and embracing uncertainty), "arte/scienza" (balancing art and science, or "whole-brain" thinking), "corporalita" (physical fitness and ambidexterity) and "connessione" (seeing the interconnectedness of everything). Gelb provides discussion of each principle in relation to Leonardo's work, questions for reader "self-assessment," exercises and even notes for parents to apply the principles to child-rearing and teaching. His view reflects the current trend in working with "multiple intelligences" and creativity, and is similar to the approach outlined in Todd Siler's Think Like a Genius (1997). The Renaissance mood Gelb successfully invokes, however, adds a unique richness to this deeper, more expansive work. Illustrations. Editor, Tom Spain; agent, Muriel Nellis. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Gelb, president of the High Performance Learning Center in Great Falls, VA, urges readers to push forward toward their full intellectual potential by incorporating advice and examples from one of history's undisputed geniuses, Leonardo da Vinci. In this hands-on workbook, Gelb includes questionnaires that test the reader's senses and perspectives, a biographical sketch of Leonardo, plentiful line drawings, and exercises designed to stimulate and expand the reader's quest to learn more. Gelb adheres to Leonardo's belief that it is best to test knowledge through experience, that the senses can be tapped as a source of information and fulfillment, and that ambiguity is not a flaw. The seven DaVincian principles discussed can refine the use of intellect and teach the reader the unchanged art of thinking clearly and fulfilling one's potential. The result will appeal especially to curious adult readers and upper-level high school students preparing to excel in today's competitive world. For all self-help collections.‘Catherine T. Charvat, John Marshall Lib., Alexandria, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.