Short and to the point, this biography covers the main accomplishments while hinting at some of the oddities and secrets surrounding Newton's life. It does not speculate, rather, it points out where others have speculated. Good introduction to Newton's work. ( )

Brief life of Sir Isaac. Sympathetic to him, though if one reads between the lines, he could obviously be very difficult to deal with. I realise it's not meant to be a scholarly work, but there were some quotations which were unattributed and it would have been nice to know who said it, even if it was a name I didn't recognise. ( )

This short biography is an exceptional introduction to the life and work of Sir Isaac Newton. With a select bibliography Ackroyd provides a useful guide to those interested in reading Newton and meditating on his genius. ( )

A biography of Newton that is one of Ackroyd's short lives series. This biography is not concerned with minute detail; it is as it advertises - short. As such, it is a good selection for someone who would like an overview of the life, without having to go into painstakingly agonizing detail about every year of his life, as some biographers choose to do. Ackroyd hits the highlights. His writing style is good, easy to read, and in spite of being short, it is not incomplete. He does not give a lot of information on Newton's theories themselves; that's OK for a biography, since that information is available in so many places that it isn't needed here. Ackroyd does not simplify his subject; he simply removes needless speculation and uninteresting detail. A nice introduction to a complex subject. ( )

I read this because I knew very little about Isaac Newton other than his laws of motion, which like you I learned in high school science classes. In under 200 pages, I learned the truth about the apple story--Newton told four different versions--and many other fascinating things about Newton. ( )