Coco Chanel lived her life as a romantic heroine. Fuelled by nineteenth century literature, she built a life that was part myth, part fact. She was the fashion designer everyone admired. The business woman whose fortunes were impossible to track. She was a performer and the lover of many high profile intellectuals. She was also believed, by many, to have been a Nazi spy. Her life was impacted heavily by history; the Second World War left an indelible trace. She was also greatly influenced by symbolism and literature, both huge sources of inspiration. This biography explores the course of her life, from her troubled and poverty stricken upbringing to the opening of her first hat shop. We discover Coco's passions and secrets, uncovering the myths and the facts of her life and examining how they match up, if at all. There are chapters focussing on the Chanel Maison and the creation of her iconic trademark, as well as her 'little black dress' and 'Chanel No 5'. Three exclusive interviews with individuals who have known Coco and researched her life also feature. Finally, the biography ends with a reflection on how the myth and legacy of Coco Chanel is represented today in pop culture.

Coco Chanel lived her own life as a romantic heroine. Fuelled by 19th century literature, she built a life which was partly myth and, partly, factual. She was the fashion designer everyone admired. The business woman whose fortune was impossible to track. She was also a performer, lover of many high profile intellectuals and, as believed by many, a nazi spy. Her life was, extraordinarily, affected by history (the nazi movement and World War II), symbolism and literature. This biography explores her life from her troubled and poor past to the opening of her first hat shop, passions and secrets; the biography also draws parallelisms between myths and facts and how, and if ever, they match at all. The biography also features chapters on the Chanel Maison and the creation of her iconic trademark as well as her little black dress' and Chanel No 5'. Finally, the biography ends with a reflection on how the myth of Coco Chanel is represented today in pop culture.

Leonardo Da Vinci was left-handed. That's probably why he wrote backwards from right to left to avoid smudging ink on his hand as he made notes on his latest works and visionary discoveries. Words could only be read with the help of a mirror making it taxing for anyone but himself to quickly decode his handwriting. There are many theories exploring the reason why he kept using "mirror writing" in all his manuscripts. Some historians say that he was trying to make it more challenging for people to steal his ideas while others claim that it was a clever attempt to hide scientific findings from the intolerant Roman Catholic Church of the Renaissance. Whatever the logic behind this, the constant association with mirror writing and studies on the human body anatomy, made him one of the most enigmatic figures of his and then of our century. This biography investigates Leonardo and his different roles from anatomist to inventor, architect, painter, rumoured to be templar and scientific pioneer. Despite leaving several of his works incomplete, Leonardo managed to influence generations of artists and still today remains a highly regarded figure in both the artistic and scientific sector.