Translations & Sources
The Scholars Who Brought Leonardo's Words to English
Leonardo wrote in Italian — specifically, in the Tuscan dialect of the late 15th century, using his famous mirror-script (left-handed, right-to-left). Making his writings accessible to the world required generations of scholars to transcribe, translate, and organize the chaotic manuscripts.
The translations presented on this site are primarily drawn from the work of Jean Paul Richter, whose Literary Works of Leonardo da Vinci remains the most comprehensive English-language edition.
Other Key Editions
For reference — other important English-language editions of the notebooks.
Irma A. Richter — The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
Oxford World's Classics · A popular selection from J.P. Richter's larger work, reorganized and with new introductions. Still in print and widely available.
Edward MacCurdy — The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
1938 · Two volumes · Arranged by manuscript rather than by subject, providing a different organizational perspective from Richter's thematic approach.
Carlo Pedretti — Commentary on the Literary Works of Leonardo da Vinci
1977 · Two volumes · Not a translation but a comprehensive scholarly commentary on Richter's work, with corrections, additions, and updated manuscript attributions.
Martin Kemp & Margaret Walker — Leonardo on Painting
Yale University Press · An anthology focused specifically on Leonardo's writings about art, painting, and the science of seeing.
H. Anna Suh — Leonardo's Notebooks
Black Dog & Leventhal · A visually rich edition pairing notebook passages with reproductions of the original manuscript pages and drawings.