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´In this painting of Leonardo´s there was a smile so pleasing that it seemed divine rather than human.´

Often called "the first art historian", Vasari writes with delight on the lives of Leonardo and other celebrated Renaissance artists .

Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin´s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.

Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574). Vasari´s works available in Penguin Classics are Lives of the Artists Volume I and Volume II.

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