Newton. The Making of Genius

Isaac Newton is now universally celebrated as a genius of science, renowned for his innovatory work on gravity and optics. Yet Newton has not always enjoyed such legendary status. His posthumous reputation has constantly changed and is riddled with contradictions. Newton investigates the different ways in which Newton's life and works have been interpreted at different times. It charts his transformation into a scientific genius,-explaining the shifting attitude of the scientific community towards Newton's ideas, from Berkeley to Einstein. Through exploring myths, pictures and poems, it also reveals how Newton became a national hero. By telling the fascinating story of Newton as icon, Patricia Fara sheds light on the growth of science and on how we commemorate our intellectual heritage.