The Life of Isaac Newton, Richard S. Westfall, Cambridge University Press, 1994, 0521477379, 9780521477376, 328 pages.

One of the greatest scientists of all time, Isaac Newton left a body of work that marked the culmination of the Scientific Revolution, the intellectual transformation in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that ushered in the era of modern science. In The Life of Isaac Newton, Richard Westfall condenses his acclaimed biography Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton to present Newton's achievements in a manner accessible to a general audience. Westfall follows Newton from his boyhood in Lincolnshire to his career at Cambridge University, where he realized virtually all of his scientific achievements. There Newton studied mathematics and physics and immersed himself in alchemy, reading exhaustively in the literature of the Art, attempting to formulate his own statement of its procedures, and experimenting at the furnace that he erected in the garden outside his chamber in Trinity College. He also studied theology and left behind an enormous corpus of manuscripts in which he embraced unorthodox positions that would have shocked his contemporaries. In this richly detailed biography, Westfall captures both the personal life and the scientific career of Isaac Newton, presenting a fully rounded picture of Newton the man, the scientist, the philosopher the theologian, and the public figure.. DOWNLOAD FULL VERSION HERE In the presence of the Creator Isaac Newton and his times, Gale E. Christianson, 1984, Biography & Autobiography, 623 pages. A biography of Newton probes the scientist's reclusive personality, recreates the turbulent intellectual atmosphere of seventeenth-century Europe, and lucidly describes Newton .... Never at Rest A Biography of Isaac Newton, Richard S. Westfall, Apr 29, 1983, Biography & Autobiography, 908 pages. This richly detailed 1981 biography captures both the personal life and the scientific career of Isaac Newton, presenting a fully rounded picture of Newton the man, the .... A portrait of Isaac Newton , Frank Edward Manuel, 1968, Biography & Autobiography, 478 pages. . Heretics , G. K. Chesterton, Jan 1, 2009, Philosophy, 152 pages. Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 - 14 June 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism .... It can't happen here , Sinclair Lewis, 1955, , 458 pages. . Galileo The Genius who Faced the Inquisition, Philip Steele, 2008, Juvenile Nonfiction, 64 pages. Chronicles the life and times of the Tuscan astronomer and physicist, focusing on his defense of the Copernican theory and his struggles with the Catholic Church.. Isaac Newton The Scientist Who Changed Everything, Philip Steele, 2007, Juvenile Nonfiction, 64 pages. Emphasizing the childhood of each famous individual, the books in this series blend personal diaries, school reports, family photographs, and primary quotes to create a .... That Noble Dream The 'Objectivity Question' and the American Historical Profession, Peter Novick, Sep 30, 1988, History, 648 pages. The aspiration to relate the past "as it really happened" has been the central goal of American professional historians since the late nineteenth century. In this remarkable .... Isaac Newton Inventor, Scientist, and Teacher, John Hudson Tiner, 1975, Biography & Autobiography, 144 pages. A biography of the seventeenth-century English scientist who developed the theory of gravity, discovered the secrets of light and color, and formulated the system of calculus.. Isaac Newton , James Gleick, 2004, Biography & Autobiography, 272 pages. In this original, sweeping, and intimate biography, Gleick moves between a comprehensive historical portrait and a dramatic focus on Newton's significant letters and ....

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One of the greatest scientists in history, Isaac Newton's achievements in mathematics and physics marked the culmination of the movement that brought modern science into being. Richard Westfall's biography captures in engaging detail both his private life and scientific career, presenting a complex picture of Newton the man, and as scientist, philosopher, theologian, alchemist and public figure. An abridged version of his Never at Rest, this concise biography makes Westfall's highly acclaimed portrait of Newton accessible to general readers. A condensed version of Westfall's 1981 biography of Newton, Never at Rest (priced at $100 and not reviewed), that nevertheless displays a high level of scholarship and detail. Westfall (History and Philosophy of Science/Indiana University) clearly has pored over the letters and papers that accumulated over Newton's 83-year lifetime (1642-1727), including the theological and alchemical writings as well as the all- important Opticks and Principia. There's a presumption that the reader appreciates the revolution in science wrought by Newton, and the fundamental philosophical disputes between him and his contemporaries: Newton raging against the Cartesians with all their hypothetical and vortex-ridden speculations in contrast to his own theory-grounded-in-experiment approach. But while one can acknowledge the genius that was Newton, not even Westfall--with his consummate understanding, fair-mindedness, and sympathy--can make the man lovable. There are of course, the circumstances of the scientist's life: His father died before he was born, and, when he was three, his mother remarried, leaving the boy to be raised by his maternal grandparents. Without undue emphasis on Freud, Westfall makes clear that such beginnings contributed to the loneliness and isolation, the neuroses, obsessions, and paranoia that characterized the life. The maligning of Robert Hooke, the undermining of the astronomer Flamsteed, and the vicious attack on Leibniz over priority in the invention of calculus add nothing to Newton's luster. Still, the scientist mellowed in the end. He presided over the Royal Society, gained income from his position at the Mint, was generous to his many relatives, and enjoyed the company of his remarkable niece in his house in London. On his deathbed, Newton refused the sacraments, confirming his lifelong anti-Trinitarianism (which could not otherwise be revealed in public). An altogether admirable job of scholarship, whose weightiness is balanced by the surfacing, from time to time, of Westfall's dry humor. (Six halftones; nine line drawings.) -- Copyright 1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. "Richard Westfall has admirably succeeded in demolishing the plaster saint and revealing, probably as much as one can ever hope to do, Newton the man. The portrait he paints shows someone who could be brutal and spiteful,...someone who was secretive to the point of paranoia; and had few if any friends in his life....This story is recounted in fluent and gripping prose by the author who deserves the Leo Gershoy Award, an American Historical award for his efforts." J. Langins, Applied Mechanics Review "Westfall made it his business in writing Never at Rest to examine all the Newton manuscripts currently available for scholarly study...He speaks with authority about them all, offering his own interpretation of the importance of the theological papers (one that greatly advances our understanding of them) and also of the place of alchemy in Newton's work. He manages to make both Newton's alchemy and his religious interests seem integral to the story of Newton's life while

keeping the scientific work in focus, an approach that offers the reader both breadth and the modern perspective on Newton's importance." B.J.T. Dobbs, ISIS of alch A thorough research of the life and work of one of the greatest geniuses who ever lived, if not the greatest, Westfall paints a vivid picture of the life of Newton from childhood to old age. He describes Newton as not only a scientific genius, but as the person who revolutionized science, and thus influenced the way of thinking, and indeed the way of modern life. Newton, to be sure, was not an easy person to live with, nor was he a perfect human being. All this however pales in comparison to his superior intellect and deep understanding of nature. The book gives ample accounting of Newton's two great works "Opticks" and "Principia" and how these two have influenced the world he lived in, and the effects they left forever since. Westfall's "Life of Isaac Newton" is everything the other reviewers say in regards to it being a good ABRIDGED biography of Newton. True, it is based in thorough scholarship and has served for the basis for many other Newton biographies to follow. But I would strongly caution any historian, whether by hobby or profession, to solely consult this book when referencing or discussing Newton. Westfall's abridged version lacks any mention of references (unless you count the very incomplete bibliographical essay at the end) in either footnotes, endnotes, or a comprehensive bibliography. In order to trace his references, one must consult his much more complete "Never at Rest", which is, altogether, a much more academic book. Don't get me wrong, "The Life of Isaac Newton" is easy to read and a good foundational text but should not serve as an authority on Newton, but rather a companion to a more authoritative text on Newton. Aside from the historiographical issues in this book, if it is to serve as an introduction to early modern science, it might also help readers to know that they should read, at some point, some sort of text that deals with British history from the Sixteenth through Eighteenth centuries, as Wesfall provides no historical or political background in which to understand Newton. Based on my own reading of books to suit this purpose I would recommend Simon Schama's "History of Britain, vol. 2"; "Leviathan and the Air-pump" by Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer; "Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes, or "The Scientific Revolution" also by Steven Shapin (which would be less of a cultural or political history but a good introduction to the issues with history of science in the seventeenth century).Read more › The Life of Isaac Newton, by Richard Westfall, addresses the life and work of one of the greatest scientists of all time. Indeed, many consider Isaac Newton to be the greatest scientist of all time, because his work was the culmination of the Scientific Revolution. Westfall covers Newton's unhappy childhood, from which he escaped to Cambridge University where he emerged as a solitary, studious individual. Newton's genius found expression during the anni mirabilis, 1664-1666, when Cambridge was closed due to the plague. During these years, Newton explored a wide range of scientific issues, including mathematical physics, optics, mechanics, and celestial dynamics. He expanded upon Descartes' geometry, to develop the calculus. He conducted experiments with light, concluding that white light is made up of a series of colors. Newton also pursued studies of the movement of objects, following up on the work of Gallileo. Westfall covers Newton's lengthy career at Cambridge, where he devoted his life to his studies, avoiding most relationships and incurring animosity and resentment among many of his fellow scientists, including Robert Hooke. Newton's masterpiece was the Principia, in which he laid out his three laws of motion: inertia; acceleration; and action and reaction. Newton also presented the laws of universal gravitation. Westfall was compelled to write this biography - which is a shortened version of his larger, more technical study to share the unfolding of the amazing genius who discovered so many of the laws underlying the physical world. This book is worth reading because it provides in an accessible form insights into the discoveries in the fields of mathematics and physics that ushered in the world of modern science. This book is an abridged version of the author's much larger full biography, Never at Rest, published in 1980. In the preface the author notes that this is very much an abridgement rather than a rewrite, because his interests have changed and he could not do justice to the research on Newton that had gone on in the intervening years to 1993. This makes the work 28 years out of date, although in

historical terms it is hard to know if this is an issue. The perceptible difference is in the tone. Early on in the book, especially, Westfall adopts an almost sycophantic attitude to Newton's genius, constantly assessing each event in terms of whether it demonstrates the great man's ability, and nudging us knowingly when other thinkers have not recognised this towering intellect before he has published anything. I'm not sure a (non-revisionist) writer setting out to write Newton's biography today would adopt such an attitude, and would hopefully be more inclined to tell the story and let the events speak for themselves. Happily, as the book goes on and Newton's talent is recognised we are given a glimpse of the man himself, and it truly is a fascinating vision. I found Newton's obsession with alchemy and the Holy Trinity (which, for him, represented the Beast of Revelation) even more fascinating than his work on optics and gravitation. Newton comes across as a man of almost aspergic obsessiveness and aversion to engage in normal social interactions, one who set terrifyingly high standards, both intellectual and moral, which only he, working prodigiously in a position many treated as a sinecure, could ever hope to aspire to.Read more › This richly detailed 1981 biography captures both the personal life and the scientific career of Isaac Newton, presenting a fully rounded picture of Newton the man, the scientist, the philosopher, the theologian, and the public figure. Professor Westfall treats all aspects of Newton's career, but his account centres on a full description of Newton's achievements in science. Thus the core of the work describes the development of the calculus, the experimentation that altered the direction of the science of optics, and especially the investigations in celestial dynamics that led to the law of universal gravitation. "The hallmarks are impeccable detail and clarity...The copious footnotes, for example, generally refer to original manuscripts, letters and memoranda that are out of reach of most students and scholars. The superb quality of this book promises to give it a prominent place in the modern scholarly literature about Isaac Newton." David L. Heiserman, Science Books & Films "Although there have been other biographies of Newton in the past, this is the first one to be based on an extensive use of the manuscript sources. It is more than merely the biography of a man and an account of the development of his ideas. It is a fundamental resource work on the Scientific Revolution, a work that should be on the shelves of every scholar interested in the main currents of ideas of the seventeenth century or any aspects of the early history of modern science." American Historical Review "...fills a decided gap in modern history of science and stands in the very first rank of our advancing understanding of one of the world's greatest geniuses...we must all owe an incalculable scholarly debt to this outstanding book. Westfall's confrontation with Newton's manuscripts, an act of historical integrity that involved sustained and arduous labour for many years, opens up dimensions of Newton's restless genius which we had never before suspected." Ambix A comprehensive yet clearly written biography spanning every facet of the life of one of the worlds true geniuses. Compelling from beginning to end this book combines extensive research with a passion to provide an insight into both the work and personal life of Newton. Whilst other work may need to be consulted by the most mathematically minded, readers with a yearning for an insight into Newton's discoveries will generally be pleased at the detail provided. My only critism would be that this very large tome came to an end. Purchasers should be aware that at over 900 pages the paperback version of this book will require careful treatment if it is to survive. A first rate biography should include a good description of the important achievements of the subject, give a good sense of the subject's personality, provide the appropriate historic context in which to view the subject, be well written, and have good documentation. Westfall's biography of Newton is first-rate in all these dimensions. Newton is arguably the most important person in modern history. His work inaugurates both modern mathematics and modern physics. His achievements as a physicist set the pattern not only for physics but also for the other natural sciences. Newton's

impact in larger culture extended also beyond the world of sciences. The historian of religion George Marsden wrote that Newton was the most important individual in the founding of the 18th century Enlightenment. Though Newton cannot be considered a member of that movement, his example of demonstrating universal natural laws understandable by human reason was immensely influential in European intellectual culture. Westfall provides a detailed chronological account of Newton's life that covers all his major (and minor) achievements and is simply excellent at integrating the relevant historical background information. As Westfall writes, we regard Newton as a scientist and the emphasis in on Newton's career as a working scientist and mathematician. But, this is described very clearly within the context of late 17th century Europe. Westfall, for example, devotes ample pages to Newton's study of alchemy and theology. Since Newton spent a large fraction of his life working in these areas, it would be imposing an anachronistic perspective to minimize attention to these topics. Westfall is excellent at describing both the intellectual and social milieu in which Newton functioned. The sections detailing the history of mathematics and physics of Newton's important predecessors and contemporaries are first-rate, particularly his analysis of the impact of Descartes analytical geometry and mechanistic philosophy. His descriptions of 17th century Cambridge, with its concentration of pseudo-academic placemen, and of the generally patronage driven world of Caroline Britain are excellent. Never at Rest provides a vivid impression of the nature of scientific work in Newton's time. Westfall does not shirk from presenting complex mathematical and physical topics. These sections are tough going for those who don't recall a lot of math and physics but very worthwhile because they give an excellent sense of Newton's transforming effects on these disciplines. Westfall delineates Newton's difficult personality very well and is fair in dealing with the numerous conflicts in which Newton became enmeshed, particularly the famous priority dispute with Leibnitz. Some of Newton's behavior is shown also to have stemmed from unexpected sources. Newton's theological researches led him to the conclusion that much accepted Christian theology is wrong and he had to conceal his Arianism and anti-Trinitarianism for much of his life. Some of Newton's achievements are shown as stemming from unexpected sources also. Westfall shows that Newton's alchemical researches, with their rather mystical element, probably contributed to freeing him from dogmatic mechanistic philosophy and facilitated his development of the idea of a universal, intrinsic gravitational force. There are a fair number of Newton biographies, this one is the most comprehensive and thorough, with a full treatment of the development of Newton's scientific and mathematical thought. What is remarkable is how rapidly Newton mastered the essentials of the techniques of his contemporaries, quietly reaching the forefront of knowledge, this in a few years, and without much prior training before his arrival in the world of Cambridge, where he flowered at once despite the almost defunct educational status of this university. The myth, however, of the annus mirabilis needs replacement with the reality of the anni mirabili, next to the near abandonment of mathematics for some years as Newton's concerns passed to encompass something broader than pure physics and his deskdrawer 'calculus' still embedded in geometrical formalisms. The final composition of the Principia in the wake of the coaxing forth of De Motu is grounds for thunderous applause for Halley who had the presence of mind to grasp who he was dealing with and the politic manner needed to communicate/negotiate with the reclusive prime mover of theory. His great work complete Newton is off to rescue the coinage at the Royal Mint,thence to the forgettable episodes of the priority quarrel with Leibniz. This work is slow but superb on all aspects of Newton's life. This is a remarkable biography because it so thoroughly tells the story of Sir Isaac Newton in all its various aspects. Newton's determination to know, his science (breathtaking science, his awesome brilliance), the religious and alchemical investigations, the cranky aloofness, are all carefully and fully drawn; by the end of the book, you feel, along with the author, that you have got to know the subject (at least to the extent one might get to know the great man). I think it is worth reading not only because the reader learns so much about the science and life of one of history's great thinkers, and to some extent how he thought, but also because the reader gains an appreciation of the hard work of invention even for one so gifted as Newton, and some

insight into the hard work of turning observations into theoretical constructs. Born in Fort Collins, Colorado, Westfall graduated from high school in 1942 and enrolled at Yale University. His time at Yale was interrupted by two years of service in World War II, but he returned to complete his B.A. degree in 1948. He subsequently earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale, with a dissertation entitled Science and Religion in Seventeenth Century England. The work was an early example of his lifelong interest in the history of science and its relationship to religion. Westfall taught history at various universities in the 1950s and 1960s: California Institute of Technology (195253), State University of Iowa (195357), and Grinnell College (195763). He began teaching at Indiana University in 1963 and worked his way up the faculty ranks until his retirement in 1989 as Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He died in 1996 at the age of 72. In 1980 Westfall published what is widely regarded as the definitive biography of Isaac Newton, Never at Rest. Westfall considered Newton a driven, neurotic, often humorless and vengeful individual. Despite these personal faults, Westfall ranked Newton as the most important man in the history of western European civilization. Westfall published a condensed and simplified version of the biography as The Life of Isaac Newton in 1993. Westfall published other books on the history of science, including The Construction of Modern Science: Mechanism and Mechanics (1971), Force in Newton's Physics: the Science of Dynamics in the Seventeenth Century (1971), and Essays on the Trial of Galileo (1989). Late in life he constructed a database of information on the lives and careers of more than 600 scientists of the early modern era, his Catalog of the Scientific Community in the 16th and 17th Centuries, which he made available to other researchers. Westfall received many awards, most notably election as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Society of Literature, and the Sarton Medal of the History of Science Society. His Never at Rest earned the History of Science Society's Pfizer Award in 1983 as the best book in the history of science and the American Historical Association's Leo Gershoy Award in 1982 as the most outstanding work published in English on any aspect of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European history. He also received the History of Science Society's Pfizer Award in 1972 for his Force in Newton's Physics and the society's Derek Price Prize in 1987 for his article, "Scientific Patronage: Galileo and the Telescope." One of the greatest scientists of all time, Isaac Newton left a body of work that marked the culmination of the Scientific Revolution, the intellectual transformation in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that ushered in the era of modern science. In The Life of Isaac Newton, Richard Westfall condenses his acclaimed biography Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton to present Newton's achievements in a manner accessible to a general audience. Westfall follows Newton from his boyhood in Lincolnshire to his career at Cambridge University, where he realized virtually all of his scientific achievements. There Newton studied mathematics and physics and immersed himself in alchemy, reading exhaustively in the literature of the Art, attempting to formulate his own statement of its procedures, and experimenting at the furnace that he erected in the garden outside his chamber in Trinity College. He also studied theology and left behind an enormous corpus of manuscripts in which he embraced unorthodox positions that would have shocked his contemporaries. In this richly detailed biography, Westfall captures both the personal life and the scientific career of Isaac Newton, presenting a fully rounded picture of Newton the man, the scientist, the philosopher the theologian, and the public figure. aether alchemy apparendy appeared asserted attraction Ayscough Barrow began Bernoulli bodies Book Boyle calculus Cambridge catalogue Catherine Barton cause century Collins Colsterworth comet composed concept Conduitt continued copy correspondence Cotes demonstration Descartes earlier early earth edition election experiments Fatio final Flamsteed Flamsteed's fluxional method force further Grantham gravity Gregory Halley Hooke Hooke's Humphrey Huygens Hypothesis inverse-square Isaac Barrow Isaac Newton John John Conduitt Kepler's third law later Leibniz letter light litde London manuscripts mathematician mathematics matter mechanical philosophy months

motion motu natural philosophy never Nevertheless Newtonian notes observations Oldenburg optics orbit papers particles perhaps phenomena Principia principle printed prism problem Proposition publication published Queries question rays received recoinage refraction reply Royal Society sal ammoniac Scholium sent sizars Stukeley theological theory of colors things thought tion told treatise Trinity Wallis Wickins William Whiston Woolsthorpe worship Richard S. Westfall was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University, where he taught from 1963 to 1989. His books include Science and Religion in Seventeenth-Century England; The Construction of Modern Science; Force in Newtonis Physics; Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton; Essays on the Trial of Galileo; and The Life of Isaac Newton. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Royal Society of Literature. The most important thing I learned from this book is that no apple ever fell on Newton's head. Instead, it is written that he was 'occasioned by the fall of an apple, as he sat in contemplative mood.' One might say that if a pie graph mapping human achievement were created, there's a good chance that Newton would be given a pretty big slice. From a historical perspective, he is responsible for more than one paradigm shift in our understanding of the world around us, and if you haven't memorized...more The most important thing I learned from this book is that no apple ever fell on Newton's head. Instead, it is written that he was 'occasioned by the fall of an apple, as he sat in contemplative mood.' One might say that if a pie graph mapping human achievement were created, there's a good chance that Newton would be given a pretty big slice. From a historical perspective, he is responsible for more than one paradigm shift in our understanding of the world around us, and if you haven't memorized his three laws of motion, then you fail. In contrast to the glory of his later discoveries, Newton's early childhood was marked by rejection and hatred. Three months before he was born in 1643, his father died, and his birth was premature. Hannah Ayscough (Newton's mother) claimed that he could fit into a 1.1 L mug, and she did not expect him to live very long. Following that, his mother remarried when he was two years of age, and his stepfather refused to incorporate the child into the new family. Isaac was forced to live with his grandmother, where he developed resentment towards his stepfather. When he was 19, Newton recorded in his list of sins: "Threatening my father and mother Smith to burn them and the house over them." During his school years he endured harsh, vindictive attacks from opponents as well as friends and family. In isolation, he would spend hours tinkering with mechanical models and making detailed drawings. His natural curiosity for such things aided in his scientific endeavours later on in life. However, during his early school years, he was considered one of the worst students. According to his teachers, this was due to his inattentiveness. Throughout school, he was considered somewhat of a dunce, and was far from achieving academic success, and he was also bullied at times. On the plus side, when Newton was challenged to fight a schoolyard bully (who, compared to Newton, was a 'building with feet'), he actually won. Unfortunately, his capacity to remain spaced-out and idle in his studies caused him to be removed from school in October, 1659, and he was put him to work on the family farm, which he detested very much. Newton's uncle William decided that it would be best for him to return to school, and Henry Stokes, the master at the King's School, convinced Hannah to let Newton complete his education. Here, Newton sought revenge against a bully by getting superior grades, and it was not long before he became a top-ranking student. It was here that some flicker of intellectual aptitude began to develop. In 1661 he got accepted to Cambridge, where his Uncle William had gone. He joined the school as a subsizer, so he had to basically do janitorial work to cover his tuition. Luckily, he was granted scholar status in 1664, which freed him of financial burdens. But a year later, everything changed. He left school in August 1665 to avoid the Bubonic Plague- a virulent, flea-borne disease which

killed about 100,000 people (20% of London's population at the time). Hannah, who was again widowed, allowed Newton to stay with her at this time. The next 18 months were among the most significant in Newton's life. "I was in the prime of my age for invention... and minded Mathematicks and Philosophy more than at any time since" he would say later on in life. It was here that he devoted himself gravitation, mathematics, mechanics, and optics- studies which would eventually allow him to push back nearly every boundary of scientific knowledge. Upon returning to school, Newton's newfound interest could not be blocked. He immersed himself in the works of Aristotle, Descartes, Hobbes, Boyle, Copernicus, Galileo, Euclid, and Kepler. Since Galileo's work explained that the earth is not the center of the universe (geocentric model < heliocentric model), astronomy was a very controversial and exciting topic, and it is interesting to note that he died only 4 days after Newton was born. And as an afterthought he invented calculus and the theory of gravitation, and wrote the Principia Mathematica. He had a huge feud with Robert Hooke, another English scientist, and refused to publish work that Hooke had helped him with until after Hooke had died. He also had a dispute with German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz with regard to the priority on the invention of calculus. Leibniz wrote to the Royal Society and explained that he had invented calculus first. Unfortunately for him, Newton was the president of the Royal Society. Strangely enough, anonymous letters mocking Leibniz began to appear in Royal Society publications, and Leibniz was left disgraced and impoverished (and in reality Newton had invented calculus first, but waited many years before publishing his work). I was so hoping to find in one of these scientist reviews of this man's life some factual dirt on all the "mysterious" stars aligning to push Isaac Newton to the forefront of his industry. This man started out with no means and no pedigree and no credentials. Yet, along the way, mysteriously, opportunities and accolades opened up to further push him along his way. I think this guy is, in reality, a spooky, creepy scientist--and maybe even a murderer of his colleagues! Any ways, I am searching fo...more I was so hoping to find in one of these scientist reviews of this man's life some factual dirt on all the "mysterious" stars aligning to push Isaac Newton to the forefront of his industry. This man started out with no means and no pedigree and no credentials. Yet, along the way, mysteriously, opportunities and accolades opened up to further push him along his way. I think this guy is, in reality, a spooky, creepy scientist--and maybe even a murderer of his colleagues! Any ways, I am searching for some dirt on the background of this man. It doesn't change his accomplishments--but you gotta separate the man from his muse!(less) A masterful biography. I had previously read James Gleick's book on Newton which encouraged me to purchase Westfall's biography. The depth with which Westfall covers Newton's lineage, early childhood, time at Cambridge is in a different league to Gleick's work. Some of the analytical detail of Newton's theories can definitely be heavy going at times, but the book still remained thoroughly enjoyable. Will take the next leap and read Westfall's Never at Rest: A biography of Isaac Newton When trawling through bookstores, there are some publishers whose books I will tend to buy regardless of editor/author/subject. O'Reilly technical books are the prototypical example -- I probably own well over fifty of them now -- and most of what Dover puts out is worth having at a used-bookstore price. But for leisure reading, nothing beats finding a Canto (an imprint of Cambridge UP). I'm sure they've published some uninteresting books, I've just never run across one. _The Life of Isaac Newto...more When trawling through bookstores, there are some publishers whose books I will tend to buy regardless of editor/author/subject. O'Reilly technical books are the prototypical example -- I probably own well over fifty of them now -- and most of what Dover puts out is worth having at a used-bookstore price. But for leisure reading, nothing beats finding a Canto (an imprint of Cambridge UP). I'm sure they've published some uninteresting books, I've just never run across one. _The Life of Isaac Newton_ is no exception. This is not a mathematical biography. It's tone puts me in mind of Blake's _Disraeli_ and that was written well enough that I've read it three times. I don't think this book will have quite the same impact -- Newton was far more important to Western Civ., but I suspect Disraeli will remain a far

more interesting character. The stories that Stukeley collected in Grantham in the 1720s stressed the fact that Newton preferred the company of girls. For Miss Storer, who was several years his junior, and her friends he made doll furniture, delighting in his skill with tools. Indeed, as the two grew older, something of a romance apparently developed between Newton and Miss Storer. It was the first and last romantic connection with a woman in his life. The romance of an adolescent boy who prefers the company of girls is no...more The stories that Stukeley collected in Grantham in the 1720s stressed the fact that Newton preferred the company of girls. For Miss Storer, who was several years his junior, and her friends he made doll furniture, delighting in his skill with tools. Indeed, as the two grew older, something of a romance apparently developed between Newton and Miss Storer. It was the first and last romantic connection with a woman in his life. The romance of an adolescent boy who prefers the company of girls is not likely to endure.(less) A very clear short biography of Newton. I was especially interested in how well read he was and how some of his best ideas came from confronting ideas of others, not simply from an apple falling on his head. I was also very struck at how his creative period ended after his mental breakdown. At the end I wanted to know more. If you ever want to get into the minutiae of Isaac Newton's life, this is the book. At 800 pages, it's thorough and enlightening. I never knew about Newton's appointment to the head of the Mint, or really anything about his later life. I skipped much of that (it is, well, rather tedious). Vollstndige Rezension lesen About the author: Richard S. Newton was a well-known American academic and scientific historian who was best known for his work on Newton. This book (published in 1993) is a condensed version of Never at Rest, his comprehensive Newton Biography which was published over a decade earlier in 1980(see here for more). It&#8217;s hard to say whether his interest in theology came from a search for something greater or just from the mere chance of being surrounded by his step father&#8217;s immense library which was stuffed full of theology texts. Regardless there is a lot of evidence to support his fascination in religion. In the end, the book claims that Newton &#8220;convinced himself that a universal corruption of Christianity had followed the central corruption of doctrine&#8221;. We are perhaps very lucky that Newton had this realisation and didn&#8217;t become a man of god. I wonder how different the world would have been? The book is written in chronological order, and covers all of Newton&#8217;s major discoveries of importance, as well as painting a picture of the society Newton was living in. I found the descriptions of his person life and the way that his work was received to be the most interesting parts of the book. During the last years of his life, Professor Westfall was engaged in a research project on patronage in the early-modern scientific community. As part of this project, he prepared a data base containing information on the careers of more than 600 scientists, his Catalog of the Scientific Community in the 16th and 17th Centuries. With his customary generosity, he made this catalog available on disk, free of charge, to colleagues for their private use. In 1994, he gave permission for the catalog to be included in the Galileo Project. JSTOR uses cookies to maintain information that will enable access to the archive and improve the response time and performance of the system. Any personal information, other than what is voluntarily submitted, is not extracted in this process, and we do not use cookies to identify what other websites or pages you have visited.