Book Description
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.
Customer Reviews:
a good introduction but not so good a history.......2007-04-16
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).
As an alternative to Westfall's abridged version, I would also suggest (though he is not an academic, he is a pretty well-regarded science journalist with a very readable style) James Gleick's "Isaac Newton" which is a little shorter and more in depth in some regards (and does completely cite references).
A good introduction to the man. .......2006-07-25
Newton has been a fascinating figure for me, ever since I read a condensed history about him in one of those INTRODUCTION TO series, I think that one was on Quantum Physics. What fascinated me about Newton was his singleness of mind, a genius who devoted himself almost entirely to the pursuit of knowledge.
Westfall's book is a condensation of an earlier book _Never at Rest_ which I have not had the pleasure of reading. Westfall presents the life of Newton warts and all. It describes his rise to prominence in the scientific world of his time and all the events leading to his most significant publication, the Principia.
What was new to me was Newton's arguments with Hooke and his behavior toward Flamsteed which diminish the man's greatness, in my mind at least. What may be interesting to readers of Newton, the man, rather than the Scientist, are his `latter years' in public service at the Mint.
Overall, I think Westfall kept the proper balance between presenting the works and person of the life of Newton. A worthwhile read.
Insight into a Genius.......2006-04-17
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.
Newton.......2005-04-01
This book tells us Isaac Newton in detail. It tells us about his life as a man, philosopher, theologian, alchemist, scientist and public figure. It tells us how he interact with other scientist and how his ancestors were like. I've learned many things about Newton that I didn't know before. Before I read this book I didn't know that he had involved with alchemy or theology. This book convinces me why Newton is one of the greatest scientists in history
Treasures of the Heart/ Wolkstein.......2004-12-11
This book was very enjoyable and a great source of information. I did not know much about the Jewish Holidays before reading this book. I now have some wonderful insights for their Holidays and the importance they play in their lives and their faith. I am LDS (Mormon) and the Temple, as the House of the Lord, is very important to me. This book help me to understand the importance of the Temple and the role it played from the time of Moses down to the time of Jesus Christ and into our very own time. This book is very good at explaining the ceremonies and the assosicated Holidays. I recommend this book to all.
Book Description
In 1696, Christopher Ellis, a young, hot-tempered gentleman, is sent to the Tower of London, but not as a prisoner. A sudden twist of fate has led him there to assist the renowned scientist Sir Isaac Newton, who as Warden of the Royal Mint has accepted an appointment to hunt down counterfeiters who threaten to topple the shaky, war-weakened economy. Armed with Newton’s superior intellect and Ellis’s skill with a sword, the new partners seem primed to solve the case. But when their investigation leads them to a mysterious coded message on a corpse hidden in the Lion Tower, they realize that something more sinister is afoot. In the heat of their pursuit, Newton and Ellis’s suspicions become all too real as the body count rises and the duo uncovers a menacing far-reaching plot that might lead to the collapse of the government—and cost them their very lives. An extraordinary, suspense-filled, and richly satisfying tale,
Dark Matter is an engrossing mystery infused with the volatile mix of politics, science, and religion that characterized life in seventeenth-century London.
Customer Reviews:
Marvelous period thriller.......2007-08-06
I borrowed this audio book from the library, assuming it without really even checking the cover was some kind of a biography of Newton. When I realized it was actually a Sherlock Holmes / Watson type detective thriller, I was initially disappointed and planned to return forthwith, since I'm not really into fiction for the time being. But, I had listened to just enough to make me curious about what was going to happen next, and before I new it, I was hooked. I'm glad in retrospect that I gave this book a chance, because it turned out to be thoroughly entertaining, through and through. Written from the point of view of Newton's assistant at the mint, Christopher Ellis, and superbly narrated by John Lee, this book is worth listening to just for the wonderful usage of the English as it was spoken at the time. When it comes to good writing, this is what I'm talking about. The descriptions of the strumpets, jades, whores, wenches etc. is titillating and a bit shocking. The cruelty of the punishments dished out to the victims of the justice system in that day are horrifying, yet appealing to that part of all of us which lurks beneath the intellect. The love affair between Newton's niece and Ellis handled beautifully, and the culmination of their infatuation is graphically and entertainingly described. Along with the gruesome murders, and action sequences, this book actually delivers a bucket full of sex and violence. Still, the nicely developed plot and the elevated use language makes this book an extremely satisfying read - or I should "listen" in my case. Which leads me to John Lee, whose rendition is about as good as it gets. I agree, though, with a reviewer who stated that the sex and violence need not have been so thoroughly described. It seems a contradiction that such a well-researched and written book should delve so often and so descriptively into the baser matters. It's actually kind of shocking. Toward the end, there emerge some parallels to the DaVinci Code, and the Ellis's questions and speculations in that area eloquent and pleasing. This book is certainly infinitely better written than the DaVinci code. Having read the reviews, I think I'll have to look into Kerr's noir trilogy. I'm quite certain based on this novel that they, too, will prove to be eminently worthwhile.
In Spite of It and Myself..........2006-09-19
...I liked it. Is it the definitive biography of Newton? Well, no, but if that's what you're looking for, why would you read a novel? It is, I think, a good stab at making a living character of Newton--which is saying something considering the pains Newton took to hide just about every personal detail of his life.
The murder mystery/forensics aspect seems to me just the stage dressing behind the portrayals of the characters. Newton and his spunk-bucket niece Catherine are the most fully delineated, followed by pretty nearly everyone else, followed by the narrator, Christopher Ellis. Ellis is the most one-dimensional character, perhaps because he's the only one Kerr had to create without the springboard of reality. (There was a real Christopher Ellis, but apparently almost nothing is known about him.)
As to the writing itself, Kerr does pretty well at keeping the flavor of seventeenth-century English without making the text impossible to wade through, and throws in a few clever allusions along the way. My only beef is that he uses whole quotes by and about Newton without paraphrasing. That comes across as jolting and stilted; it would have been better had Kerr springboarded off them as well, working them into his own writing style and keeping them fresh.
I know this sounds like a lukewarm review, but I really did like the book! It's winning and curiously entertaining. Not a heavyweight, but diverting, and besides there's plenty of ponderous stuff about Newton out there. Let your hair down, relax, and enjoy it.
There are better historical mysteries........2005-04-06
In spite of the length of the book, it did read quickly, probably because I did a lot of skimming. Kerr's detail of the period is fascinating and well researched, but the characters of Ellis and Newton seemed a parody of Watson and Holmes and lacked any real depth. Even though you were aware the author was trying to make the dialogue appropriate to the period, it came off stilted and awkward. There were descriptive sex scenes which seemed gratuitous. As one who enjoys historical mysteries, there are many better choices than this.
Issac Newton the Sleuth.......2004-06-22
London at the turn of the century, 17th, that is, is a place of intrigue and mystery. Will the recoinage fail and cause England to be destroyed by France and the Catholics? The mystery is deepened with each new murder, but, is Issas Newton, and his faithful sidekick, up to solving the case? Read on, and learn. This book was a little tedious, but it had its moments.
Interesting...but had some shortcomings.......2004-06-19
The book, Dark Matter: The Privet Life of Sir. Isaac Newton was a very interesting book. I read through the first 250 odd pages with excitement and enjoyment. However, once the book reached page 300, it felt like the author realized he had to finish it and then quickly tied up all the lose ends almost to neatly. My other main problem with the book is something, which I encounter with the vast majority of modern fiction, and that is sex. There seems to be this idea that a book must have at least one scene during which people must engage in the act, now I understand that on occasion this is important to the plot or the character development, however, must we actually be subjected to a detailed analysis of the actions preformed? This book would have been better, and the characters as well developed had we not been 'privileged' to their sexual activities. Still on the whole, it was an enjoyable book, with strong characters, and an interesting plot.
Book Description
Isaac Newton is a legendary figure whose mythical dimension threatens to overshadow the actual man. The story of the apple falling from the tree may or may not be true, but Isaac Newton's revolutionary discoveries and their importance to the Enlightenment era and beyond are undeniable. The Newtonian Moment, a companion volume to a forthcoming exhibition by the New York Public Library, investigates the effect that Newton's theories and discoveries had, not only on the growth of science, but also on the very shape of modern culture and thought. Newton's scientific work at Cambridge was groundbreaking. From his optical experiments with prisms during the 1660s to the publication of both Principia (1687) and Opticks (1704), Newton's achievements were widely disseminated, inciting tremendous interest and excitement. Newtonianism developed into a worldview marked by many tensions: between modernity and the old guard, between the humanities and science, and the public battles between great minds. The Newtonian Moment illuminates the many facets of his colossal accomplishments, as well as the debates over the kind of knowledge that his accomplishments engendered. The book contributes to a greater understanding of the world today by offering a panoramic view of the profound impact of Newtonianism on the science, literature, art, and religion of the Enlightenment. Copiously illustrated with items drawn from the collections of the New York Public Library as well as numerous other libraries and museums, The Newtonian Moment enlightens its audience with a guided and in-depth look at the man, his world, and his enduring legacy.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Scholarship
- A Really Good Read!
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One Shaker Life: Isaac Newton Youngs, 1793-1865
Glendyne R. Wergland
Manufacturer: University of Massachusetts Press
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A Place in Time: The Shakers at Sabbathday Lake, Maine (Pocket Paragon)
ASIN: 1558495223 |
Book Description
A member of the United Society of Believers, better known as the Shakers, Isaac Newton Youngs spent most of his life in New Lebanon, New York, home of the society's central Ministry. As both a private diarist and the official village scribe, he kept meticulous records throughout those years of both his own experience and that of the community. All told, more than four thousand pages of Brother Isaac's journals have survived, documenting the history of the Shakers during the period of their greatest success and providing a revealing view of the daily life of a rank-and-file Believer.
In this deeply researched biography, Glendyne R. Wergland draws on Youngs's writings to tell his story and to explore "the tension between desire and discipline" at the center of his life. She follows Youngs from childhood and adolescence to maturity, through years of demanding responsibility into his fatal decline. In each of these stages, he remained a talented and committed yet independent Shaker, one who chose to stay with the community but often struggled to abide by its stringent rules, including the vow of celibacy. Perhaps above all, he was a man who spent most of his waking hours working diligently at a succession of tasks, making clocks, sewing clothes, fixing roofs, writing poetry, chronicling his daily acts and thoughts.
In his journals, Brother Isaac writes at length of his efforts to control his lust as a young man, and he complains repeatedly about overwork as he grows older. He defines the rules of his community and identifies transgressors, while enciphering his critical entries (and those chronicling his own sexual desires) to avoid detection and uphold the demand for conformity. At times he admits doubt, but without ever relinquishing the belief that he is on the straight and narrow path to salvation. What emerges in the end is the complex portrait of an ordinary man striving to live up to the imperatives of his faith.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Scholarship.......2006-08-05
ONE SHAKER LIFE by Glendyne Wergland is one of the finest pieces of scholarship ever done on the Shakers. There is so much of merit, it is difficult to choose a few aspects to highlight. When the entirety of the book is considered, however, perhaps the most intriguing chapters are numbers three and seven.
Number Three, "Youth and Lust" provides a totally new and detailed account of the struggle a young Shaker man faced trying to live a celibate life. Wergland uses vivid passages from his diaries and speaks of his guilt and efforts to confess. At the same time she uses nineteenth century literature on related sexual topics to contextualize these temptations.
Chaper Seven, "Intimacy between Men in Shaker Society" continues this frank discussion. No previous author has so skillfully discussed issues raised by the use of flowery and sexual language between Shaker men in their correspondence, nor has possible Shaker homosexuality ever been so clearly and rationally explained. As a result, her treatment of Isaac's friendships shows a balanced and fairly accurate account of the relationships formed between Shaker men in the early nineteenth century.
Other chapters of note include the one dealing with Isaac's involvement in the Era of Manifestations. We glimpse him as both an instrument as well as one who is given the task of testing the validity of these visionists. Another chapter deals with his contributions as a master clockmaker, the final craftsman in a three generations old family tradition. The book also has clear and well explained illustrations.
In summary, Wergland has used previously unanalyzed primary resources to create a work of insight that informs. This effort helps give a correct and complete view of one particular Shaker during the earlier years of Shaker history.
A Really Good Read!.......2006-05-25
For those of us who gravitate toward the written record of one person's life as a lens through which to understand broader historical trends -- and those of us who are particularly interested in 19th century American, religious, New England, and of course Shaker history -- this book is a gem. It brings the American Shaker religious sect to life in the person of Isaac Newton Youngs, a member of the New Lebanon, NY Society of Believers. For this we have not only the author to thank, but also her subject, who left 4,000 diary pages for her study. Through these pages we see more than a glimpse of Isaac's daily life. We get a comprehensive view of his spiritual, emotional, and vocational development from the age of 13, when he joins the New Lebanon Shakers, through adolescence (including a surprisingly frank account of his decades-long struggle to live in a celibate society), adulthood, and his shocking end. The author's sympathetic yet insightful analysis of this material puts Isaac's travails in religious, social, and psychological context, so that we understand Isaac and the world he lived in, and how it was perceived by outsiders. We are left with the sense of having known someone intimately, despite the spatial, chronological, and cultural remove.
So often, history affords us just a glimpse of any one life. We are left to wonder just what that time and place was really like. This is not one of those books.
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Newton's Apple: Isaac Newton and the English Scientific Renaissance
Peter Aughton
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Limited
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0297843214 |
Book Description
In the aftermath of the English Civil War, the Restoration overturned England's medieval outlook and a new way of looking at the world allowed the genius of Isaac Newton (b. 1642) and his contemporaries to flourish. Newton had a long and eventful life apart from his scentific discoveries. He was born at the beginnings of the Civil War, his studies were disrupted by the twin disasters of the Great Plague and the Fire of London; a brilliant and enigmatic genius, Newton dabbled in alchemy, wrote over a million words on the Bible, quarrelled with his contemporaries and spent his last years as Master of the Royal Mint as well as President of the Royal Society. This book sets Newton's life and work against this dramatic intellectual rebirth; among his friends and contemporaries were Samuel Pepys, the colourful diarist, John Evelyn, the eccentric antiquarian, the astronomers Edmund Halley and John Flamsteed, and Christopher Wren, the greatest architect of his age. They were all instrumental in the founding of the Royal Society and their aim was nothing less than to examine the whole field of scientific knowledge.
Customer Reviews:
Tasty.......2006-03-14
This is a very nice-looking book, with heavy-duty glossy paper sewn into an equally sturdy binding. Inside are high-quality illustrations of everything from scientists in frighteningly humungous wigs to the face of Jupiter as seen by Voyager, accompanied by readable, interesting text dealing with the English Scientific Revolution of the 16-1700s as seen through the lens of Newton's life. Its portrait of Newton is less negative than those in the recent biographies, but I wouldn't call it reverential--somewhere in the middle, I'd say.
The reading level is college or above, but this book would definitely be accessible to a smart kid of high school age. There's stuff about science, but also a lot of historical miscellanea that non-science types would find interesting. It doesn't go heavy on the math or technical stuff, but instead gives an overview of England at that time and the personalities and interactions of the scientists.
To sum up: it's not a cheap book, but it's a keeper and worth the money.
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Before Newton: The Life and Times of Isaac Barrow
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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ASIN: 0521306949 |
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A comprehensive reevaluation of Isaac Barrow (1630-1677), one of the more prominent and intriguing of all seventeenth-century men of science. Barrow is remembered today--if at all--only as Sir Isaac Newton's mentor and patron, but he in fact made important contributions to the disciplines of optics and geometry. Moreover, he was a prolific and influential preacher as well as a renowned classical scholar. By seeking to understand Barrow's mathematical work, primarily within the confines of the pre-Newtonian scientific framework, the book offers a substantial rethinking of his scientific acumen. In addition to providing a biographical study of Barrow, it explores the intimate connections among his scientific, philological, and religious worldviews in an attempt to convey the complexity of the seventeenth-century culture that gave rise to Isaac Barrow, a breed of polymath that would become increasingly rare with the advent of modern science.
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Essays on the Context, Nature, and Influence of Isaac Newton's Theology (International Archives of the History of Ideas / Archives internationales d'histoire des idées)
J.E. Force , and
R.H. Popkin
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0792305833 |
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8.5" X 5", SPANISH, 158 pages
Books:
- The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
- The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
- The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
- The Variational Principles of Mechanics (Dover Books on Physics and Chemistry)
- Thin Film Solar Cells: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications (Wiley Series in Materials for Electronic & Optoelectronic Applications)
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- This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
- Understanding Thermodynamics
- University Physics with Modern Physics, 11th Edition
- Using and Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach (3rd Edition)
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