“Isaac Newton”, by James Gleick

288 pages, Pantheon, ISBN-13: 978-0965738002

James Gleick’s Isaac Newton is, overall, a good introduction to the thoughts and theories of one of the English language’s premiere scientists, but it is not without its flaws. While there were certainly moments in this book in which I had an Eureka! moment, overall I was left a bit disappointed by the author’s lack of insight into the man himself. I have always held Newton in awe and wondered what his IQ might have measured, but, perhaps, what I was looking for in this book was not Gleick’s intent in focus. I’ve read a few books that discuss the theories and history of Newton’s contributions to science, mostly as how they referred to the author’s topic at hand. In this book I had hoped to find more of an inner glimpse into Newton’s psyche, and in that regard what it did reveal was disillusioning: Newton was apparently petty, jealous and socially inept; oh, without question a genius, but also something of a dweeb, as well. For those who are looking for a biography of Isaac Newton, Isaac Newton doesn’t cut the mustard, as it is more concerned with his accomplishments than who and what he was.

For those who are not already familiar with the scientific thought of the day and with Newton’s accomplishments, this book will be much more satisfying: the alchemy, the genius, the religious heresy, the loneliness, the obsessions, the quarrels, the apple, and the years at the mint and the sublime science. By keeping away from a strict chronology, Gleick tells his story with emphasis on the episodes that made Newton and we do get a feel for his times and the contradictions that lay at the heart of Newton's life and probably drove his creative genius. However, this approach also reveals the flaws of the book: at times I found it a little disjointed and lacking in flow; different aspects of the story came without any real attempt at seamless transition and I felt quite a jolt. Thus, this is quite an odd book, both illuminating and not-so-much. The work is narrowly focused on Newton’s life or, rather, what Gleick considers especially important moments in Newton’s life. He discusses only in passing the tumultuous events of the 17^th Century with a little of the social history of science thrown in, as well. There is also a strange quality to the discussion of what Newton actually discovered: Gleick has the outline right, but the details are murky (to be honest, I’m not certain that he can follow Newton's math and so he doesn’t explain it well).

As a primer to Newton’s life and work, Isaac Newton works, but for a more in-depth discussion as to who he really was and why he is so important, I guess I’ll have to look elsewhere.