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Description edit
Edward Dolnick is the author of Down the Great Unknown and the Edgar Award-winning The Rescue Artist . A former chief science writer at the Boston Globe , he has written for The Atlantic Monthly , the New York Times Magazine , and many other publications. He lives with his wife near... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Robert Hooke: English natural philosopher, architect and polymath.
- Johannes Kepler: German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer.
- Isaac Newton: English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian.
- Edmond Halley: English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist.
- Robert Boyle: Irish-born natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology.
- Samuel Pepys: English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man.
- Albert Einstein: German-born theoretical physicist who discovered the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics.
- Zeno of Elea: Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of southern Italy and a member of the Eleatic School founded by Parmenides, known for his paradoxes.
- Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach: The queen consort of King George II of Great Britain who developed into a scholar of considerable ability.
- Christopher Wren: One of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.
- Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek: Dutch tradesman and scientist.
- Georg Ludwig: George I of Great Britain was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death.
- René Descartes: French philosopher and writer.
- Charles Darwin: English naturalist.
- Pythagoras of Samos: Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician.
- Isaac Newton: tempermental, jealous, solidary, brilliant, gifted, visionary
- George: Add a description of this character.
- Swift
- Westfall
Organizations edit
- The Royal Society: The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in 1660.
First Sentence edit
A stranger to the city who happened to see the parade of eager, chattering men disappearing into Thomas Gresham's mansion might have found himself at a loss.
Table of Contents edit
Chronology xiii
Preface xv
Part 1 Chaos
1 London, 1660 3
2 Satan's Claws 7
3 The End of the World 13
4 "When Spotted Death Ran Arm'd Through Every Street" 20
5 Melancholy Streets 25
6 Fire 29
7 God at His Drawing Table 34
8 The Idea That Unlocked the World 42
9 Euclid and Unicorns 50
10 The Boys' Club 58
11 To the Barricades! 66
12 Dogs and Rascals 72
13 A Dose of Poison 76
14 Of Mites and Men 83
15 A Play Without an Audience 90
16 All in Pieces 97
Part 2 Hope and Monsters
17 Never Seen Until This Moment 105
18 Flies as Big as a Lamb 114
19 From Earthworms to Angels 120
20 The Parade of the Horribles 126
21 "Shuddering Before the Beautiful" 129
22 Patterns Made with Ideas 135
23 God's Strange Cryptography 140
24 The Secret Plan 145
25 Tears of Joy 152
26 Walrus with a Golden Nose 157
27 Cracking the Cosmic Safe 162
28 The View from the Crow's Nest 169
29 Sputnik in Orbit, 1687 177
30 Hidden in Plain Sight 182
31 Two Rocks and a Rope 187
32 A Fly on the Wall 190
33 "Euclid Alone Has Looked on Beauty Bare" 194
34 Here Be Monsters! 200
35 Barricaded Against the Beast 207
36 Out of the Whirlpool 212
Part 3 Into the Light
37 All Men Are Created Equal 219
38 The Miracle Years 225
39 All Mystery Banished 233
40 Talking Dogs and Unsuspected Powers 237
41 The World in Close-Up 244
42 When the Cable Snaps 253
43 The Best of All Possible Feuds 259
44 Battle's End 266
45 The Apple and the Moon 271
46 A Visit to Cambridge 278
47 Newton Bears Down 281
48 Trouble with Mr. Hooke 288
49 The System of the World 293
50 Only Three People 297
51 Just Crazy Enough 301
52 In Search of God 307
53 Conclusion 314
Acknowledgments 321
Notes 323
Bibliography 353
Illustration Credits 361
Index 363
First Edition edit
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Page Count: 400
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Page Count: 400
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