Project offers online glimpse of Leonardo

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LONDON, Jan 31, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks will available to Microsoft Vista computer system users through a joint project of the British Library and Microsoft.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said Vista users surfing the British Library Web site can view a three-dimensional set of notes from two of Leonardo's notebooks, the International Herald Tribune said. The selection combines the 535-page Codex Arundel owned by the British Library and the 35-page Codex Leicester owned by Gates.

Included are notes, diagrams and sketches Leonardo made on topics ranging from mechanics and engineering to properties of the moon.

"Using Vista allowed us to put together the pages of these two notebooks as they were 500 years ago," said Clive Izard, creative services chief at London's British Library. "We plan to make it a platform for scholars to share knowledge."

Gates is making the digital version available to British Library for six months.

Although only Vista users can access the 35 pages owned by Gates, Izard said British Library policy said all digitized books must be available regardless of software.

"Sometimes you have to go with a single system to begin with to make something innovative," Izard said.