The notebooks designed for a mirror

Many pages in Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks run in the opposite direction from ordinary European writing.

The left-handed artist frequently wrote from right to left, producing what is called mirror writing.

A mirror makes the lines much easier to read, although Leonardo could also write normally when required.

The habit may have prevented smudging and felt natural rather than serving as a secret code.

The detail changes the usual picture of Leonardo da Vinci. A famous life can look inevitable from a distance, but close up it is built from experiments, accidents and small decisions.

Creative work can transform physical limits and ordinary objects into a new language.