The Measure of a Man

The acclaimed Italian author spins a tale of Renaissance innovation, intrigue and murder in this historical novel about Leonardo da Vinci.

October 1493. Florence is still mourning the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Columbus’ ships have only recently reached the New World, and Milan is experiencing a renaissance under the leadership of Ludovico il Moro. Not far from Milan’s Castle, a peculiar man named Leonardo da Vinci lives above his workshop. Da Vinci doesn’t eat meat, writes from right to left, and struggles to get paid by his employers. Yet his fame extends beyond the Alps, to the French court of Charles VIII.

Charles has sent envoys on a mission to uncover the Italian inventor’s rumored secret plans for an invincible mechanical knight. Meanwhile, after a man is found dead in the Castle’s courtyard, il Moro turns to Da Vinci for help. Five hundred years after Leonardo’s death, Marco Malvaldi combines literature, science, history, and mystery to bring back to life one of the greatest figures of the Renaissance.