The Newton Papers (the Strange And True Odyssey Of Isaac Newton's Manuscripts)

By (author) Dry Sarah
Short description/annotation
The untold story of Newton''s private papers, hidden for centuries, sold for a pittance and then painstakingly reconstructed to reveal a man altogether stranger and more complicated than the genius of legend.
Description
When Isaac Newton died in 1727 without a will, he left behind a wealth of papers that, when examined, gave his followers and his family a deep sense of unease. Some of what they contained was wildly heretical and alchemically obsessed, hinting at a Newton altogether stranger and less palatable than the one enshrined in Westminster Abbey as the paragon of English rationality. These manuscripts had the potential to undermine not merely Newton''s reputation, but that of the scientific method he embodied. They were immediately suppressed as "unfit to be printed," and, aside from brief, troubling glimpses spread across centuries, the papers would remain hidden from sight for more than seven generations. In The Newton Papers, Sarah Dry illuminates the tangled history of these private writings over the course of nearly three hundred years, from the long span of Newton''s own life into the present day. The writings, on subjects ranging from secret alchemical formulas to impassioned rejections of the Holy Trinity, would eventually come to light as they moved through the hands of relatives, collectors, and scholars. The story of their disappearance, dispersal, and rediscovery is populated by a diverse cast of characters who pursued and possessed the papers, from economist John Maynard Keynes to controversial Jewish Biblical scholar Abraham Yahuda. Dry''s captivating narrative moves between these varied personalities, depicting how, as they chased the image of Newton through the thickets of his various obsessions, these men became obsessed themselves with the allure of defining the "true" Newton. Dry skillfully accounts for the ways with which Newton''s pursuers have approached his papers over centuries. Ultimately, The Newton Papers shows how Newton has been made and re-made throughout history by those seeking to reconcile the cosmic contradictions of an extraordinarily complex man.
Table of contents
Prologue: Keynes at the sale1. The Death of Newton2. The Inheritors3. Petrifying Newton4. The Madness of Newton5. The Meanness of Newton6. Getting to Know the Knowers7. Wrangling with Newton8. Newton Divided9. English Books, American Buyers10. The Dealers11. The Sotheby Sale12. The Revealed Newton13. The Newton Industry14. The Search for UnityEpilogue: The Ultimate Value
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This fascinating book traces thehistory of Newton''s papers...The author gives some fascinating background...It is a captivating story.
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[W]e find in Sarah Dry''s fascinating book not only a life and times of Newton''s papers personified, but also several smaller biographies of the flesh-and-blood characters involved in the story of these papers, who prove to be every bit as interesting and colorful as the manuscripts they sought, preserved, and studied.
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In this brilliantly crafted and absorbing book, Sarah Dry traces the fate of Newton''s manuscripts, through the hands of disciples and enemies, collectors and businessmen, scholars and eccentrics, from familiar heroes of the sciences, including David Brewster, George Stokes, John Maynard Keynes and Albert Einstein, to the lesser-known figures who played such decisive roles in the life of these invaluable documents. The Newton Papers works its appeal both as an indispensable guide to the making of a towering reputation and to the fascinating energies of cunning detective work through the centuries.
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A delightful exploration of Newton''s wandering manuscripts'' legacy, with an unexpected bonus: a fascinating and insightful account of Sir Isaac''s evolving reputation.
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