Customer Reviews

Newton's Apple: Isaac Newton and the English Scientific Renaissance

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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.