Newtonian scholarship has taken great steps forward in the last half-century. The recent completion of critical editions of Newton's mathematical papers and of his scientific correspondence, as well as the publication of the first volume of his optical papers and of variant readings of the Principia in the original Latin, have made most of Newton's scientific work generally available for study and analysis for the first time. This has provided a better understanding of Newton's Principia and Optics especially regarding their origin and interpretation, much of which has remained obscure for several centuries. Some of the new developments and insights are presented in this book by several of the scholars who have made these primary sources accessible, and by others who are using them to elucidate Newton's work. Most of the papers included were presented at the Symposium on the Foundations of Newtonian Scholarship, held at the Royal Society in London in March 1997.

Contents:

• Newton's Scholarship in Historical Perspective (I B Cohen)
• Newton's Experimental Investigation of Diffraction for the Opticks: A Preliminary Study (A E Shapiro)
• Comparison of Newton's Diffraction Measurements with the Theory of Fresnel (M Nauenberg)
• Newton's Dynamics: The Diagram as a Diagnostic Device (J B Brackenridge)
• Fluid Resistance: Why Did Newton Change His Mind? (G E Smith)
• Addendum to G Smith's "Fluid Resistance: Why Did Newton Change His Mind?" (M Nauenberg)
• Newton's Mathematical Language (J Fauvel)
• Newton's Expansion for the Square Root of an Algebraic Equation by an Equivalent Arithmetic Method (M Nauenberg)
• Newton's Portsmouth Perturbation Method and Its Application to Lunar Motion (M Nauenberg)
• Review and Reminiscences (A R Hall)
• How Does One Come to Edit Newton's Mathematics? (D T Whiteside)
• From Kepler to Newton: Telling the Tale (C Wilson)

"Historians of science, teachers and students of the history and philosophy of science and mathematics will be astounded at the difference a few decades of research has made in the assessment of Newton's work. Most heartily recommended to all who seek authoritative and readable glimpses of Newton at work."

"There is an air of nostalgia about this book. This tone is set not only by inclusion of photographs of conference delegates and the many retrospective glances made by the contributors, but also by the profile of the symposium presenters ... The names of the contributors certainly are eminent, and the major papers offer new research and insights on Newton's works."