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1. What was the main source of information used by Walter Isaacson in his writing of Leonardo's biography?

The main source of information used by Walter Isaacson to construct Leonardo's biography was Leonardo's collection of notebooks. Over 7,200 pages of Leonardo's scribblings, musings, drawings, questions, and investigative results still exist and were used by Isaacson to understand the inner workings of Leonardo's mind. Whenever possible, Isaacson traveled to see the notebook pages in person, eventually traveling to see pages in Milan, Florence, Paris, Seattle, Madrid, London, and Windsor Castle.

2. In what way did Leonardo's illegitimacy grant him certain freedoms?

If Leonardo had been born as the legitimate firstborn son of his father Piero, he would have been required to take on the position of notary, just as every firstborn legitimate son had done before him for the last five generations of his family. Thus, Leonardo was free to pursue his own choice of career. His illegitimacy also granted him escape from the formulaic, traditional schools he would have had to attend as a legitimate son. Instead, he was free to create his own path and his own means of self-education.

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