Sassoon, Donald

Discusses the political circumstances that led Italy into World War II, examining the effectiveness with which Mussolini seized power after arriving in Rome in 1922, and the weakening of the previous political system due to social fragmentation, unionization, inflation, and nationalism.

Pictures and text trace the history of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," discussing why the painting has become so popular and what it reveals about da Vinci's life.