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William Newman's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books William Newman recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of William Newman's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1

Isaac Newton and Natural Philosophy

Isaac Newton is one of the greatest scientists in history, yet the spectrum of his interests was much broader than that of most contemporary scientists. In fact, Newton would have defined himself not as a scientist, but as a natural philosopher. He was deeply involved in alchemical, religious, and biblical studies, and in the later part of his life he played a prominent role in British politics, economics, and the promotion of scientific research. Newton’s pivotal work Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which sets out his laws of universal gravitation and motion, is regarded... more
Recommended by William Newman, and 1 others.

William NewmanGuicciardini’s is the first synthetic book that really tries to incorporate what you could call the new Newton scholarship. The picture you get there of Newton as not so much a kind of psychopath that you get in Manuel and to some degree Westfall but rather Newton as a kind of—as Mordechai Feingold has put it—Caltech geek. (Source)

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2
He was the dominant intellectual figure of his age. His published works, including the Principia Mathematica and Opticks, reached across the scientific spectrum, revealing the degree of his interdisciplinary genius. His renown opened doors throughout his career, securing him prestigious positions at Cambridge, the Royal Mint, and the Royal Society. Yet alongside his public success, Sir Isaac Newton harbored private religious convictions that set him at odds with established law and Anglican doctrine, and, if revealed, threatened not just his livelihood but his life.
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Recommended by William Newman, and 1 others.

William NewmanIliffe takes a noncommittal position in Priest of Nature. There’s no question, of course, that Newton was a heretic. The problem is when did he commit to that idea? (Source)

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3

Newton and the Origin of Civilization

Isaac Newton's Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, published in 1728, one year after the great man's death, unleashed a storm of controversy. And for good reason. The book presents a drastically revised timeline for ancient civilizations, contracting Greek history by five hundred years and Egypt's by a millennium. Newton and the Origin of Civilization tells the story of how one of the most celebrated figures in the history of mathematics, optics, and mechanics came to apply his unique ways of thinking to problems of history, theology, and mythology, and of how his radical... more
Recommended by William Newman, and 1 others.

William NewmanBuchwald and Feingold suggest that Newton did not become an anti-trinitarian until at the very earliest 1679 and possibly later and that his reason for rejecting holy orders was simply because he wanted to do scientific research unencumbered by religious duties. It’s a radically different interpretation. (Source)

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4

A Portrait Of Isaac Newton

Recommended by William Newman, and 1 others.

William NewmanManuel was a brilliant historian and perhaps an even more brilliant writer. I personally think that, of all the books written on Newton, his is stylistically the most engaging. It’s just a terrific read. (Source)

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5

Never at Rest

A Biography of Isaac Newton

Destined to become the standard biography of Isaac Newton, this meticulously detailed work is focused on his scientific career, but also deals with every facet of his life. It presents an encompassing picture of Newton--the man, scientist, philosopher, theologian and public figure. less
Recommended by William Newman, and 1 others.

William NewmanIt’s a magisterial book. It’s the only treatment of Newton that really tries to give a detailed study of the totality of his science alongside his religion and his work on alchemy, which covered more than 30 years. (Source)

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