Thom reviewed Isaac Newton by James Gleick
Review of 'Isaac Newton' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
John Maynard Keynes described Newton as the "last of the magicians" in 1942. This brief biography demonstrates some of that magic, exploring investigations into prisms, gravity, and mathematics, without delving deeply into his early life or posthumous influences.
The focus here is not just on the discovery but the conflict - Hooke in the case of the Laws of Motion and Leibniz in the case of Calculus. It is perhaps telling that Calculus was Leibniz' term for this type of mathematics. Aspects of his life related to both discovery and conflict are also covered, especially his time at Cambridge and his Mastery of the Royal Mint.
For many reviewers, this biography was too brief. More of a 30,000 foot view, I found it a good read but not great.