The Codex Leciester is a journal of Leonardo da Vinci's that consists of a large collection of this scientific writings and findings. This journal is named after Thomas Coke who was later named the Earl of Leicester. Coke purchased the codex in 1717. Among 30 some scientific journals, this is quite possibly the most famous written by Leonardo. The codex not only provides scientific insight into this Renaissance thinkers mind but also provides through illustration, a link between science and art.
The codex is made up of 18 pages, which were written on both sides and folded in half thus creating this 72 page document. It is handwritten by Leonardo himself in Italian and is accompanied by multiple pictures and diagrams. The manuscript describes many scientific theories about multiple items including fossils, plate tectonics, erosion, the moon, and the flow of water.
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| A look at some pages from the Codex Leicester |
It is astonishing to see how great this man's mind worked. He provides scientific explanation which clearly surpasses the thinking of this time. He describes how fossils can be found on mountains because of his theory that mountains once formed sea beds and were gradually lifted up (plate tectonics anyone?). He also explained his theory of the moon in which he explained that the pale glow on the dark portion of the crescent moon is caused by sunlight reflected by the Earth. Leonardo successfully described planetshine 100 years before it would be proven. This dude was a genius!
The Codex was purchased in 1980 by Armand Hammer, a wealthy art collector. He renamed it Codex Hammer. In 1994, none other than Bill Gates purchased the then Codex Hammer for $30.8 million, making it the most expensive book ever sold. Gates decided to rename the codex, Codex Leicester. He would later make scanned digital images of the book and distribute them as screen savers for Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95.
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