Isaac Newton's Principia is considered one of the masterpieces in the history of science. The mathematical methods employed by Newton in the Principia stimulated much debate among his contemporaries, especially Leibniz, Huygens, Bernoulli and Euler, who debated their merits and drawbacks. Among the questions they asked were: How should natural philosophy be mathematized?; Is it legitimate to use uninterpreted symbols?; Is it possible to depart from the established Archimedean or Galilean/Huygenian tradition of geometrizing nature?; What is the value of elegance and conciseness?; What is the relation between Newton's geometrical methods and the calculus? This book explains how Newton addressed these issues, taking into consideration the values that directed the research of Newton and his contemporaries. This book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students in departments of history of science, philosophy of science, physics, mathematics and astronomy.

‘This is a clearly written and informative work that brings alive and throws new light on a compelling episode … It is an attractive book and accessible to a broad constituency.’

June Barrow-Green Source: BSHM Newsletter

From a translation of an article appeared in Il Sole-24 Ore:‘Guicciardini offers an original key to the reading of the Principia, which is the mature result of the research of a scholar, better known abroad than in Italy. He is among the greatest authorities in his field.’

Umberto Bottazzini Source: Il Sole-24 Ore

‘This reviewer enjoyed reading Reading the Principia.’

Source: Applied Mechanics

‘The book is a first-rate contribution to the history of science.’

E. Knobloch Source: Zentralblatt MATH