Book excerpt: The volume begins with overviews of Michelangelo's life and work and contains more focused essays on the artist's political thought and his chief biographers, Ascanio Condivi and Giorgio Vasari. Other articles survey Michelangelo's early career and principal works, including the Rome "Piet," the "David, " the "Doni Tondo," and his commission to paint the "Battle of Cascina" in competition with Leonardo da Vinci.