Books like

Books like Leonardo da Vinci

12 books with a reading profile close to Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. Balanced in tone; a moderate read.

  1. 1 Einstein: His Life and Universe

    Einstein: His Life and Universe

    by Walter Isaacson

    history, analytical

    Walter Isaacson reconstructs the life of Albert Einstein by utilizing newly released personal letters to connect his scientific achievements with his defiant personality.

  2. 2 Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

    Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

    by Robert K. Massie

    history, analytical

    Robert K.

  3. 3 Cleopatra: A Life

    Cleopatra: A Life

    by Stacy Schiff

    history, analytical

    Stacy Schiff strips away centuries of Roman propaganda and cinematic myth to reconstruct the life of the last pharaoh of Egypt.

  4. 4 Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

    Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

    by Jon Krakauer

    history, analytical

    Jon Krakauer traces the life of Pat Tillman from his career as an NFL safety for the Arizona Cardinals to his death by friendly fire in eastern Afghanistan.

  5. 5 Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

    Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

    by Vincent Bugliosi

    history, analytical

    Vincent Bugliosi, the lead prosecutor in the Tate-LaBianca trials, provides a chronological account of the 1969 murders and the subsequent investigation into Charles Manson and his followers.

  6. 6 Napoleon

    Napoleon

    by Paul Johnson

    history, analytical

    Paul Johnson presents a critical assessment of Napoleon Bonaparte, framing the French leader not as a visionary hero, but as a precursor to the modern totalitarian state.

  7. 7 The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden

    The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden

    by Peter L. Bergen

    history, analytical

    Peter Bergen documents the biological and ideological trajectory of the man who engineered the September 11 attacks, moving from his origins as a wealthy Saudi son to his final years in a secluded Pakistani compound.

  8. 8 Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

    Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

    by Patrick Radden Keefe

    history, analytical

    Patrick Radden Keefe documents the three-generation history of the Sackler family, tracing their trajectory from mid-century medical advertising to the development of Purdue Pharma.

  9. 9 A Beautiful Mind

    A Beautiful Mind

    by Sylvia Nasar

    history, analytical

    Sylvia Nasar details the life of John Forbes Nash Jr., a mathematical genius whose work on game theory redefined modern economics.

  10. 10 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

    The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

    by Rebecca Skloot

    history, analytical

    In 1951, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took tissue samples from Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman with terminal cervical cancer, without her knowledge or consent.

  11. 11 Careless Love

    Careless Love

    by Peter Guralnick

    history, biography

    This volume documents the final two decades of Elvis Presley’s life, beginning with his 1958 military service in Germany and concluding with his death in 1977.

  12. 12 The princes in the tower

    The princes in the tower

    by Alison Weir

    history, biography

    Alison Weir investigates the 1483 disappearance of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, from the Tower of London.

Get picks matched to your own reading on papr.

Get papr

Your library, beautifully understood.

papr turns your books into a reading persona, chapter insights you can listen to, and a quiet way to find people who think like you. Free to join.

Get papr — it's free
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play