Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton (Cambridge Paperback Library) 17th Edition

by Richard S. Westfall (Author)

65 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0521274357

ISBN-10: 0521274354

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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.

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Editorial Reviews

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"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

"...this biography is to be applauded and recommended...we must all read Westfall's biography and admire it..." Eighteenth-Century Studies

"...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

"This must be one of the best biographies ever penned." Spaceflight

"Here at last is a Newton in whom we can believe...In short, this is as complete a biography as modern scholarship can provide." The Observatory

"No private library of an educated person should be without it on the shelf." Industrial Mathematics

Book Description

This richly detailed 1981 biography captures both the personal life and the scientific career of Isaac Newton.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; 17th edition (April 29, 1983)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 928 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0521274354
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0521274357
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.74 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 1.83 x 9.21 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #800,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #867 in History of Engineering & Technology
- #1,242 in History of Technology
- #1,901 in Scientist Biographies

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65 ratings

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Dr. Terrence McGartyTop Contributor: Photography

Newton in Detail

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019

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This is a complex and detailed book. Despite my MIT PhD, I found it a real slog in parts because the author has the penchant for presenting one fact after another. The details are quite extensive and for one interested and prepared for them, this is the work you are looking for. If on the other-hand you are looking to understand Newton the person and his times, this is not the vehicle.

Some of my observations:

1. Notation: One of the major problems was the use of notation and even numbers at this time. There was a transition to the way we expect to see equations today but it is but a transition. The author presents Newton qua Newton at the time. Some diversion or discussion of the notation would be helpful.

2. Alchemy: This also was a period for the transition between alchemy and chemistry. It had not yet dawned on just what an element was and the search for gold and the extensive exposure to mercury and other toxic chemicals was often debilitating. It would be useful to have some understanding the of the world of the alchemists. They had little "theory" but many "secret" recipes.

3. Politics: Newton eventually moves to the political sphere. This was a chaotic period and again understanding this complex period of English history is almost a re-requisite to understanding Newton.

Again, the book is extremely detailed, if that is what one seeks. However it demands a great deal of the reader both in attention to the text and in understanding the times as they were.

26 people found this helpful

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Christine

Great read!

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2021

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This is an incredibly detailed and well researched biography. Never at Rest is an excellent read that explores extensively into the life, obsessions, skills, and achievements of Isaac Newton. The book is huge, super informative, includes some pictures, and will greatly enhance your understanding of one of the most important men of science.

I loved reading this and enjoyed discovering a bunch of new information I never learned before from documentaries or another book I read about him. Great read! I highly recommend it!

One person found this helpful

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Saul

Never at Rest put me to sleep.

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2018

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Overall a good quality book, detail oriented, professional, well written job. Sometimes gets lost in minutia of his life, which can get arduous. My biggest problem is that I am unable to follow a lot of the mathematical concepts, especially the diagrammatic and numerical stuff, as opposed to the philosophical, which I believe is handled somewhat better. I’m no mathematician but I’m not stupid either, I think; or am I ?

7 people found this helpful

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Disappointed

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2020

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For a definitive biography on Isaac Newton I found this 908 page tome difficult to read because of the very large number of old English quotes. Reading was more work than pleasure.

2 people found this helpful

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Jonathon YorkTop Contributor: Astronomy

Having finally finished this weighty biography I am pleased to say it is one of the most insightful ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2015

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Having finally finished this weighty biography I am pleased to say it is one of the most insightful biographies I've read in a long time. A must-have for those interested either in Isaac Newton, the history of science and the philosophy of science, or the roots of Enlightenment thinking. Westfall's book has enhanced my understanding of all of these.

15 people found this helpful

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Olen Martin

For those of a technical bent

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021

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An expanded version of Westfall's (already excellent) Newton biography "The Life of Isaac Newton." The extra several hundred pages detail his work in science and mathematics. If you're a non-scientific person, you'll prefer the other volume.

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Cliente de Amazon

The best biography ever

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2016

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Great book. I have wanted to read it for ages. It's exhaustive and the best bio of Newton i have read, so complete and full of detail. Recommended if you are interested in Science History or the Restoration period.

7 people found this helpful

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Ian Murray

Better than any science fiction ever written

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016

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Genius is rare on our planet. Westfall makes anyone who reads this text want to have a time machine to just be a fly on the wall to share some small aspect of what Newton did. Better than any science fiction ever written.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Newton Biography

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2021

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Very Scholarly

Terence Hosey

Inspiring.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2017

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The definitive biography of Newton, everyone serious about Newton needs to read this book.

2 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

A deep and objective treatment of the greatest-ever scientist

Reviewed in Australia on September 1, 2020

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The author devoted twenty years to the production of this work. The enormously detailed scholarly writing reveals the unique character of Isaac Newton, as well as presenting the full development of his incredible contribution to the fundamental sciences of Physics and Mathematics. The huge amount of work that Newton did on the more exotic subjects of biblical history and alchemy, and why his rational mind was attracted to them, is treated in great detail also. Newton's life outside science also makes for very interesting reading and I found it most informative of the times and places in which he lived.

Christoph Schnell

Newton unplugged

Reviewed in Germany on November 24, 2016

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This is some hard stuff. If you are looking for some afternoon ore weekend lecture about on of the biggest figures in natural science, this book is not for you.
On more than 800 pages we learn about Newtons life, Newtons science and Newtons world. With footnotes and references on almost every page!!! it is a scientific biography which doesnt equal anything I have read before.
If you like mathematics you are rigt here as well, in the first part of the book you will have a detailed explanation of how Newton solved the issues of motion and mass, how he thougt about different concepts, and finally shaped the idea of inertia and gravity.
So if you ask me if I enjoyed to read this book, my opinion is twofold. As a non native speaker I troubled many times, especially when Prof. Westfall cited original papers and documents of Newton himself. As a guy with a background in biology and physics I still believe that I did not get everything out of it during a normal read.
The book doesnt read fluently that is for sure, but it will reward any reader who takes that adventure with profound insights, not only to Newtons life but to the scientific historical and philosphical environment at his time.
I deeply admire what Westfall has done. It is the definite scientific biography of Newton which is unchallanged, you will not get more anywhere else.
In one of the reviews someone stated "Richard Westfall has done Newton proud". Nothing more to say.

Amazon Customer

'Never at Rest': Unmatched Biography of an Unmatched Genius

Reviewed in India on April 24, 2017

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This is a brilliant biography, treating as it does, all aspects of Newton's life and career. It will be of special interest to those interested in the evolution of Newton as a scholar and in the development of his work in optics and calculus. It will also be of immense interest to those interested in placing Newton in the 'line' of scientists who shaped modern science and our ideas of the solar system and the universe. As a book, it might be a little unnerving to those who find mathematics and physics daunting. But then, if one is talking about Newton, one must of needs discuss his seminal and unmatched contributions to these fields. I have read excerpts of other biographies of Newton's, but they appear a little one-sided compared to this work which is as comprehensive as it is deep. I have unhesitatingly awarded it a Five Star rating.

4 people found this helpful

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Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton (Cambridge Paperback Library) 17th Edition

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