THE MANUSCRIPTS

LEONARDO DA VINCI

MANUSCRIPTS F & I FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE INSTITUTE

original: "Bibliothèque de l'Institut." This refers to the library of the Institut de France in Paris, where twelve of Leonardo's notebooks (designated A through M) were deposited after being taken from Milan during the Napoleonic era.

PUBLISHED AS PHOTOTYPIC FACSIMILES

Phototypic facsimiles A high-quality 19th-century photographic printing process, also known as collotype, which allowed for the exact visual reproduction of historical documents without the need for hand-engraving.

WITH LITERAL TRANSCRIPTIONS, FRENCH TRANSLATIONS, PREFACES, AND SYSTEMATIC TABLES

MR. CHARLES RAVAISSON-MOLLIEN

WORK HONORED BY THE FRENCH ACADEMY

To be "crowned" (couronné) by the Académie Française means the work was awarded a prestigious prize for literary or historical merit.

Printer's mark of Maison Quantin. It features a central shield divided into two halves containing the capital letters "M" and "Q". Above the shield sits a lit oil lamp. The shield is flanked by two allegorical figures: a bearded man on the left holding a staff and a woman on the right. A ribbon draped over the top of the scene contains the motto "FREE AND PROUD" original: "LIBRE ET FIER". The entire emblem is framed by ornate floral and acanthus leaf decorations.

PARIS

THE QUANTIN PUBLISHING HOUSE

GENERAL PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY

7 SAINT-BENOIT STREET

1889

original: "M DCCC LXXXIX"