The Newton papers : the strange and true odyssey of Isaac Newton's manuscripts
(Book)

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Published
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2014].
Status
Central - Adult Nonfiction
530.092 NEWTON DRY
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Central - Adult Nonfiction530.092 NEWTON DRYAvailable

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Published
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2014].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xi, 238 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [213]-228) and index.
Description
When Isaac Newton died at 85 without a will on March 20, 1727, he left a mass of disorganized papers, upwards of 8 million words, that presented an immediate challenge to his heirs. Most of these writings, on subjects ranging from secret alchemical formulas to impassioned rejections of the Holy Trinity to notes and calculations on his core discoveries in calculus, universal gravitation, and optics, were summarily dismissed by his heirs as "not fit to be printed." Rabidly heretical, alchemically obsessed, and possibly even mad, the Newton presented in these papers threatened to undermine not just his personal reputation but the status of science itself. As a result, the private papers of the world's greatest scientist remained hidden to all but a select few for over two hundred years. In this book the author divulges the story of how this secret archive finally came to light, and the complex and contradictory man it revealed. Covering a broad swath of history, she explores who controlled Newton's legacy, who helped uncover him, and what, finally, we know about him today, nearly three hundred years after his death. The book presents the eclectic group of collectors, scholars, and scientists who were motivated to track down and collect Newton's private thoughts and obsessions, many of whom led extraordinary lives themselves, from economist John Maynard Keynes to Abraham Yahuda, a friend of Albert Einstein and key figure in the founding of Israel. The 300-year history of the disappearance, dispersal and eventual rediscovery of Newton's papers exposes how Newton has been made, and re-made, at the hands of unique and idiosyncratic individuals, reflecting the changing status of science over the centuries. -- Provided by publisher.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Dry, S. (2014). The Newton papers: the strange and true odyssey of Isaac Newton's manuscripts . Oxford University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Dry, Sarah, 1974-. 2014. The Newton Papers: The Strange and True Odyssey of Isaac Newton's Manuscripts. Oxford University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Dry, Sarah, 1974-. The Newton Papers: The Strange and True Odyssey of Isaac Newton's Manuscripts Oxford University Press, 2014.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Dry, Sarah. The Newton Papers: The Strange and True Odyssey of Isaac Newton's Manuscripts Oxford University Press, 2014.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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