Author: Joel Levy
Publisher: The History Press, 2009
Price: £12.99 (hardback)
Isbn: 9780752454931

Isaac Newton was one of our most cele­brated geniuses; a biography was published in his lifetime, and there have been many more since. Newton’s Notebook is one more, but far from being redundant, this rather beautiful little book is well worth a read.

It is written in the style of a notebook, with each illustrated two-page spread covering a differ­ent topic or period of Newton’s life. Reduced to bite-sized port­ions, even the heaviest subjects are easily digestible. The text is well broken up with pictures and diagrams redrawn from Newton’s own works.

While he is widely known as a scientist, Newton’s more esoteric pursuits, including his extended study of alchemy and his analysis of biblical prophecy, were kept secret until the 20th century. Books like White’s Newton – the Last Sorcerer lean towards the image of a magical rather than a scientific figure. Newton’s Notebook restores the balance, putting into context all Newton’s work. This includes not only the epoch-making work on optics and the laws of motion but also his investigation of what would now be considered paranormal and his spell at the Royal Mint.

Newton’s Notebook fits all these varied studies together, showing how they were aspects of a single messianic (and comparatively success­ful) project to discover all the secrets of the Universe.