The Life of Isaac Newton

Rating:
Summary: very, very good
Review: "The Life of Isaac Newton" written by the brilliant Richard Westfall is a masterpiece. This biography tells us of the great mind that was born Christmas Day 1642. Westfall goes in depth on Sir Isaac Newton's three laws. 1) Law of Inertia 2) F=ma, and who can forget number? 3) Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Folks if you're going to read one book this winter in should be "The Life of Isaac Newton" by Richard Wesfall.

Rating:
Summary: Stimulating, Informative, Inspirational
Review: I couldn't agree with reviewer #1 more! As a doctoral engineer, I thought I knew everything about that greatest scientist that ever lived. But I was wrong. Westfall taught me plenty about his life and times.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Genius - Isaac Newton
Review: The preface to "The Life of Isaac Newton" starts with "Few men have lived for whom less need exist to justify a biography." To this I would like to add that few books have been written which need to be read more than the "Life of Isaac Newton" by Richard Westfall.

A thorough research of the life and work of one of the greatest geniuses who ever lived, if not the greatest, Westfall paints a vivid picture of the life of Newton from childhood to old age. He describes Newton as not only a scientific genius, but as the person who revolutionized science, and thus influenced the way of thinking, and indeed the way of modern life.

Newton, to be sure, was not an easy person to live with, nor was he a perfect human being. All this however pales in comparison to his superior intellect and deep understanding of nature. The book gives ample accounting of Newton's two great works "Opticks" and "Principia" and how these two have influenced the world he lived in, and the effects they left forever since.

This book is a necessary reading not only for those interested in science, but for all who want to have a glimpse into the way of life in the 16th and 17th centuries, and especially the way science and philosophy spread throughout the world.

Read it!

Shab Levy
Portland, OR 2002

Rating:
Summary: Treasures of the Heart/ Wolkstein
Review: This book was very enjoyable and a great source of information. I did not know much about the Jewish Holidays before reading this book. I now have some wonderful insights for their Holidays and the importance they play in their lives and their faith. I am LDS (Mormon) and the Temple, as the House of the Lord, is very important to me. This book help me to understand the importance of the Temple and the role it played from the time of Moses down to the time of Jesus Christ and into our very own time. This book is very good at explaining the ceremonies and the assosicated Holidays. I recommend this book to all.

Rating:
Summary: The only biographer of Newton
Review: This is a condensed version of "Never at Rest: Biography of Isaac Newton" by the same author. In this new version he took away details that he thought were interesting just to the specialist, so this book was written for the general public (and it indeed succeed to be non-technical).

What is really important about Westfall's work is that he is the only REAL biographer of Isaac Newton, since he was the first (and the last) to make an intensive research about him, seeking Newton's ancestors, tracking all his way through; collecting letters from everyone that had a comma wrote by Newton. Sure, this is the full biography of Newton and everything that you read aside is based on this one (if it's not wrong). The goal of this biography is to be impartial: you certainly won't find the author arguing that Newton was a bad person or glorifying him; he will just narrate and point out the true, the facts, the letters, leaving the interpretation with you. My interpretation is: Newton was a great man, not only because he was a genius, but as an example of humanity. You can disagree... as long as you know the facts; not being influenced by some biographical essay that has more adjectives than verbs.

Rating:
Summary: The only biographer of Newton
Review: This is a condensed version of "Never at Rest: Biography of Isaac Newton" by the same author. In this new version he took away details that he thought were interesting just to the specialist, so this book was written for the general public (and it indeed succeed to be non-technical).

What is really important about Westfall's work is that he is the only REAL biographer of Isaac Newton, since he was the first (and the last) to make an intensive research about him, seeking Newton's ancestors, tracking all his way through; collecting letters from everyone that had a comma wrote by Newton. Sure, this is the full biography of Newton and everything that you read aside is based on this one (if it's not wrong). The goal of this biography is to be impartial: you certainly won't find the author arguing that Newton was a bad person or glorifying him; he will just narrate and point out the true, the facts, the letters, leaving the interpretation with you. My interpretation is: Newton was a great man, not only because he was a genius, but as an example of humanity. You can disagree... as long as you know the facts; not being influenced by some biographical essay that has more adjectives than verbs.