The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior
Da Vinci, Machiavelli, and Borgia and the World They Shaped

The idea of this book is both excellent and intriguing, but the excecution is poor. A study of three very different men who bestride history and most fortuitiously lived at the same time and shared many experiences which deeply influenced the Renaissance and our modern world should produce some insi......more

Leonardo da Vinci and Machiavelli are two Renaissance figures who have earned immortal fame, Leonardo for his fantastical notebooks, artistic masterpieces and proto-scientific approach to the natural world, Machiavelli for his foundational text on the cynicism of realistic politics with The Prince.......more

I'm an eclectic reader, and when I ran across this one being reviewed in the Washington Post, I added it to my list. Turns out that was a good call. Da Vinici, Machiavelli, and Cesare Borgia are names that ring out in history. The fact that they all knew each other intrigued me, so I wanted to see w......more

Paul Strathern's, 'The Artist, The Philosopher and the Warrior,' is an engaging account of some of the greatest minds of the renaissance (and arguably, history). As I had just travelled to Italy and learned for the first time (yes, I'm a bit late to the renaissance party) about characters such as Ma......more

This is an interesting analysis of Leonardo Da Vinci, Machiavelli and Cesare Borgia's relationship. It focuses upon the short period when Leonardo was coerced by the Florentine government to work for Borgia as a weapons designer and Machiavelli served as its diplomatic envoy. Strathern provides a de......more