- Gleick, James. Isaac Newton. New
York: Pantheon Books, 2003. ISBN 0-375-42233-1.
-
Fitting a satisfying biography of one of the most towering figures in
the history of the human intellect into fewer than 200 pages is a
formidable undertaking, which James Gleick has accomplished
magnificently here. Newton's mathematics and science are well
covered, placing each in the context of the “shoulders of Giants”
which he said helped him see further, but also his extensive (and
little known, prior to the twentieth century) investigations into
alchemy, theology, and ancient history. His battles with Hooke,
Leibniz, and Flamsteed, autocratic later years as Master of the Royal
Mint and President of the Royal Society and ceaseless curiosity and
investigation are well covered, as well as his eccentricity and
secretiveness. I'm a little dubious of the discussion on
pp. 186–187 where Newton is argued to have anticipated or at
least left the door open for relativity, quantum theory, equivalence
of mass and energy, and subatomic forces. Newton wrote millions of
words on almost every topic imaginable, most for his own use with no
intention of publication, few examined by scholars until centuries
after his death. From such a body of text, it may be possible to
find sentences here and there which “anticipate” almost anything when
you know from hindsight what you're looking for. In any case, the
achievements of Newton, who not only laid the foundation of modern
physical science, invented the mathematics upon which much of it is
based, and created the very way we think about and do science, need
no embellishment. The text is accompanied by 48 pages of endnotes
(the majority citing primary sources) and an 18 page bibliography.
A paperback edition is now available.
November 2004 