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Newton and the Counterfeiter
The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist
Thomas Levenson4.2
(5)
About
A fascinating slice of true-crime history that unfolds in 1695, when law enforcement was unheard of and modern money was little more than a concept. When renowned scientist Isaac Newton took up the post of Warden of His Majesty's Mint in London, another kind of genius-a preternaturally gifted counterfeiter named William Chaloner-had already taken up residence in the city, rising quickly in an unruly, competitive underworld. In the courts and streets of London, and amid the tremors of a world being transformed by ideas Newton himself had set in motion, Chaloner crosses paths with the formidable new warden. An epic game of cat and mouse ensues in Newton and the Counterfeiter, revealing for the first time that Newton was not only one of the greatest minds of his age, but also a remarkably intrepid investigator.
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Reviews
"Newton and the Counterfeiter packs a wonderful punch in its thoroughly surprising revelation of that other Isaac Newton, and in its vivid re-creation of 17th-century London and its fascinating criminal haunts."
Providence Journal
"Levenson reveals the remarkable and true tale of the only criminal investigator who was far, far brainier than even Sherlock Holmes: Sir Isaac Newton during his tenure as Warden of the Royal Mint. What a fascinating saga! It allows us to see the human side of Newton and how his amazing mind worked when dealing with practical rather than theoretical questions."
Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein, His Life and Universe and Benjamin Franklin: An Ameri
"As the great Newton recedes from us in time, he comes increasingly into focus as a man rather than a myth-thanks in no small measure to this learned and lively new study from the estimable Thomas Levinson."
Timothy Ferris, author of Seeing in the Dark