Monday, November 30, 2020

Newton’s Principia may have been more popular than previously thought

Amazing stuff!

Were they really reading and understanding this famous magnus opus or were they just book collectors trying to impress contemporaries? Apparently, the former happened.

"... A 1950s search found only 189 copies of the first edition, published in 1687 under the full title Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (SN: 7/4/87). .. [recently] ... unearthed 386 copies, suggesting a more substantial readership. ... By tracking down original owners and studying the annotations that readers made, the researchers conclude that, in addition to scientists, well-educated laypeople were reading the book too. ..."

Newton’s Principia may have been more popular than previously thought | Science News Researchers found over 300 copies of the book’s first edition



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