Review by Dan Hofstadter Read the review The restrictions and costs of professional licensing don’t apply only to doctors and lawyers. Hairdressers, decorators and others must deal with them too.

One of the most written-about Renaissance artists, da Vinci may also be among the most poorly understood.

The role of the ultra-wealthy has morphed from one of shared social responsibility and patronage to the freewheeling celebration of selfish opulence. Rather than investing in their society—say, by ...