When Leonardo da Vinci died, he bequeathed his manuscripts and unpublished works to his favorite student. Over the centuries, some were stolen, some were purchased, and some were lost. While researching in a Spanish library, an American professor finds a historic manuscript he wasn’t even looking for.

Recommended reading: The Leonardo da Vinci Codices in the Biblioteca Nacional of Madrid translated by Ladislao Reti

Cited sources:

Codices -https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-madrid-codices-accion-cultural-espanola-ace/pQVxV0d9w8HFtA?hl=en

The discovery -https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/los-codices-de-madrid 

The discovery -https://www.edn.com/da-vincis-madrid-codices-are-discovered-february-13-1967/

Discovery and publication -https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/30/archives/leonardo-legend-grows-as-longlost-notes-are-published-commentaries.html 

Ladislao bio -https://www.jstor.org/stable/3102957?read-now=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Searching for the documents -https://www.jstor.org/stable/875461

Chronology of the National Library of Spain -https://www.bne.es/es/conocenos/historia/cronologia 

Melzi bio -https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/leonardo-s-legacy-francesco-melzi-and-the-leonardeschi

Pompeo Leoni -https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/artist/leoni-pompeo/5173cb5b-fc20-4334-8eb3-43d5188300ad

History of da Vinci manuscripts -https://vernonpress.com/file/445/542aca6f2aaed49cd005966c3efebb6e/1426572502.pdf

Collection without order -https://www.discoveringdavinci.com/record-of-the-manuscripts

Ambrosiana library -https://www.ambrosiana.it/en/who-we-are/ambrosiana/ 

Columbus -https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/what-it-took-for-columbus-to-finally-set-sail-5427080

700 pages -https://www.nytimes.com/1967/02/14/archives/700-pages-of-leonardo-mss-found-in-madrid-700-pages-of-leonardo.html

McGraw-Hill set -https://madridcodices.com/product/the-madrid-codices-of-leonardo-da-vinci/

Piccus image with Codices images -https://historicimages.com/products/rsk92805