Reviews
"Can a talented but non-specialist science writer have any hope of contributing a serious, insightful biography of such a monumental man? In this case Gleick wins the gamble. HisIsaac Newtonis now the biography of choice for the interested layman…. The extraordinary breadth of Newton's interests is brilliantly delineated by Gleick. Newton the man emerges from the shadows." --Owen Gingerich,The New York Times Book Review "Accurate and readable… Gleick has gone back to [Newton's] original notebooks and brought them to life. For casual reader with a serious interest in Newton's life and work, I recommend Gleick's biography as an excellent place to start." --Freeman Dyson,The New York Review of Books "A slender, thoroughly researched account of Newton's life, written in a spare sometimes lyrical prose style… What's most fascinating about [Newton], and what makes Gleick's biography so intriguing, is that Newton just sort of came up with things by himself, as if out of the blue…And incredibly, he got the right answers." --Farhad Manjoo,Salon.com "What a great subject for James Gleick! Isaac Newton was a geniuses' genius. His secret jottings changed the way we think about the universe, from the infinite to the infinitesimal. He was larger than life in his search for order, and he had heroic adventures in the realms of mystery and chaos. His behavior on this earth was as eccentric as his voyages beyond it were spectacular. Gleick has written the perfect short life."-- Jonathan Weiner, author ofThe Beak of a Finch "The book has the magic of a wonderful laboratory experiment. James Gleick uses some complex components to make a brilliantly orchestrated and compelling narrative.HisIsaac Newtonis a masterpiece of clarity so difficult to write, so easy to read." --Michael Holroyd, author ofWorks on Paper "In addition to reflecting on Newton's genius, Gleick provides a fresh and brilliant portrait of his personality and life, the people who mattered to him, the influences which played on him, and the contexts of his achievements, giving us a vivid picture of this superhuman yet all-too-mortal man." --Oliver Sacks, author ofUncle Tungsten "[ISAAC NEWTON] is beautifully paced and very stylishly written: compact, atmospheric, elegant. It offers a brilliant and engaging study in the paradoxes of the scientific imagination.It's more revealing than a falling apple!" -- Richard Holmes, author ofColeridge "After reading Jim Gleick's beautifully written and intimate portrait of Newton, I felt as if I'd spent an evening by the fire with that complex and troubled genius." --Alan Lightman, author ofEinstein's Dreams, The DiagnosisandReunion "Gleick's descriptions of Newton's scientific breakthroughs are clear and engaging… [ISAAC NEWTON] will bring this chapter in the history of science to a broader audience." --Publishers Weekly "[An] engaging, concise biography of a monumental visionary and eccentric whose life was as remarkable as the universe he struggled to understand." --Kirkus Reviews, "Can a talented but non-specialist science writer have any hope of contributing a serious, insightful biography of such a monumental man? In this case Gleick wins the gamble. His Isaac Newton is now the biography of choice for the interested layman…. The extraordinary breadth of Newton's interests is brilliantly delineated by Gleick. Newton the man emerges from the shadows." --Owen Gingerich, The New York Times Book Review "Accurate and readable… Gleick has gone back to [Newton's] original notebooks and brought them to life. For casual reader with a serious interest in Newton's life and work, I recommend Gleick's biography as an excellent place to start." --Freeman Dyson, The New York Review of Books "A slender, thoroughly researched account of Newton's life, written in a spare sometimes lyrical prose style… What's most fascinating about [Newton], and what makes Gleick's biography so intriguing, is that Newton just sort of came up with things by himself, as if out of the blue…And incredibly, he got the right answers." --Farhad Manjoo, Salon.com "What a great subject for James Gleick! Isaac Newton was a geniuses' genius. His secret jottings changed the way we think about the universe, from the infinite to the infinitesimal. He was larger than life in his search for order, and he had heroic adventures in the realms of mystery and chaos. His behavior on this earth was as eccentric as his voyages beyond it were spectacular. Gleick has written the perfect short life."-- Jonathan Weiner, author of The Beak of a Finch "The book has the magic of a wonderful laboratory experiment. James Gleick uses some complex components to make a brilliantly orchestrated and compelling narrative. His Isaac Newton is a masterpiece of clarity so difficult to write, so easy to read." --Michael Holroyd, author of Works on Paper "In addition to reflecting on Newton's genius, Gleick provides a fresh and brilliant portrait of his personality and life, the people who mattered to him, the influences which played on him, and the contexts of his achievements, giving us a vivid picture of this superhuman yet all-too-mortal man." --Oliver Sacks, author of Uncle Tungsten "[ISAAC NEWTON] is beautifully paced and very stylishly written: compact, atmospheric, elegant. It offers a brilliant and engaging study in the paradoxes of the scientific imagination. It's more revealing than a falling apple!" -- Richard Holmes, author of Coleridge "After reading Jim Gleick's beautifully written and intimate portrait of Newton, I felt as if I'd spent an evening by the fire with that complex and troubled genius." --Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams, The Diagnosis and Reunion "Gleick's descriptions of Newton's scientific breakthroughs are clear and engaging… [ISAAC NEWTON] will bring this chapter in the history of science to a broader audience." --Publishers Weekly "[An] engaging, concise biography of a monumental visionary and eccentric whose life was as remarkable as the universe he struggled to understand." --Kirkus Reviews
