Newton

Ackroyd’s prose always hustles the reader right along, deeper into his subject, and, in Newton, what a subject he found! This edition, one of the series of Brief Lives, by Doubleday, is a joy to hold and read, with hard board covers and hand-cut pages, fitting into the hand as sweetly as Ackroyd’s writing.

Newton, a middle-class lad destined for agricultural life, inheriting a small holding from his farmer father, astounded all with his inherent genius. True to the lore, it was apparent very early in his life, sustained throughout it, and undisputed still. Shy, reclusive yet aware of himself and his own genius, Newton spent most of his life bound within his college. Reluctant to publish his astounding conclusions, rejecting wider show more fame because others may dispute his findings, he somehow became famous … but few dared to offer contentions for his deductions and hypothesis.

A great little book about an enormous mind and an enormous service to mankind - ”if I have served the publik interest it is only through hard work” he said.

Perhaps, but ably assisted by an intelligence that still reigns supreme. show less

Brief life of Sir Isaac. Sympathetic to him, though if one reads between the lines, he could obviously be very difficult to deal with. I realise it's not meant to be a scholarly work, but there were some quotations which were unattributed and it would have been nice to know who said it, even if it was a name I didn't recognise.

A biography of Newton that is one of Ackroyd's short lives series. This biography is not concerned with minute detail; it is as it advertises - short. As such, it is a good selection for someone who would like an overview of the life, without having to go into painstakingly agonizing detail about every year of his life, as some biographers choose to do. Ackroyd hits the highlights. His writing style is good, easy to read, and in spite of being short, it is not incomplete. He does not give a lot of information on Newton's theories themselves; that's OK for a biography, since that information is available in so many places that it isn't needed here. Ackroyd does not simplify his subject; he simply removes needless speculation and show more uninteresting detail. A nice introduction to a complex subject. show less

Part of the series of Ackroyd's Brief Lives, this is a short but engaging biography of Sir Isaac Newton. After reading Neal Stephenson's interpretation of Newton in his Baroque Cycle, I was curious to read something about the "real" man, and Newton is just as fascinating without any fictional embellishment. Ackroyd's biography of one of the most brilliant scientists who ever lived is very readable. I borrowed this copy from the library, but I'm tempted to buy one of my own. I even like the cover, with the "O" in "Newton" falling off the page under the influence of gravity, like Newton's famed apple falling from the tree.

I read this because I knew very little about Isaac Newton other than his laws of motion, which like you I learned in high school science classes. In under 200 pages, I learned the truth about the apple story--Newton told four different versions--and many other fascinating things about Newton.

Short and to the point, this biography covers the main accomplishments while hinting at some of the oddities and secrets surrounding Newton's life. It does not speculate, rather, it points out where others have speculated. Good introduction to Newton's work.

I loved the brief nature of this book. I have tried to deal with full length biographies of Newton in the past and always wimped out. This was just right for me. I learned a handful of things I didn't know and got an impression of the time in which he was working. Its got a good beat, you can dance to it, I give it 4 stars!