Leonardo is quite the character. For most of his life a beautiful charmer, surrounded by pretty boys in search of a career, we remember him mostly for his old age, a bearded man with long straight hair. He is almost as iconic as his creations, who became true symbols of art and science to a degree unparalleled before and ever since.

Yet, the man is a little elusive. He is from an age too far in time to have dutifully recorded all his comings and goings, and despite his fame, many of his works have not survived. Biographies came late, mostly at the hands of people that had only a scant acquaintance with Leonardo, or even never met him.

Mr. Nicholls collects all the data and presents a portrait that is alive without descending into novelization. The Leonardo that jumps out of the pages of the book is a real human, with needs and desires and problems - yet at the same time an admired artist, scientist and philosopher.

First things first: don't read the paperback edition. The print is tiny, and the book huge - the perfect recipe for a painful headache.

I heard about Cryptonomicon first in a personal ad, in the category last read. The title sounded interesting, so I bought the book and read it on my last trip to Hawai`i. Which ensured that I had plenty time to read with no distraction or better things to do.

Measured against that backdrop, the book was an utter failure. I was bored with entire sections, and skipped liberally without ever having to go back, never missing the plot.