In his monumental 1687 work Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, known familiarly as the Principia, Isaac Newton laid out in mathematical terms the principles of time, force, and motion that have guided the development of modern physical science. Even after more than three centuries and the revolutions of Einsteinian relativity and quantum mechanics, Newtonian physics continues to account for many of the phenomena of the observed world, and Newtonian celestial dynamics is used to determine the orbits of our space vehicles.

This completely new translation, the first in 270 years, is based on the third (1726) edition, the final revised version approved by Newton; it includes extracts from the earlier editions, corrects errors found in earlier versions, and replaces archaic English with contemporary prose and up-to-date mathematical forms.

Newton's principles describe acceleration, deceleration, and inertial movement; fluid dynamics; and the motions of the earth, moon, planets, and comets. A great work in itself, the Principia also revolutionized the methods of scientific investigation. It set forth the fundamental three laws of motion and the law of universal gravity, the physical principles that account for the Copernican system of the world as emended by Kepler, thus effectively ending controversy concerning the Copernican planetary system.

The illuminating Guide to the Principia by I. Bernard Cohen, along with his and Anne Whitman's translation, will make this preeminent work truly accessible for today's scientists, scholars, and students.

I. Bernard Cohen (1914-2003) was Victor S. Thomas Professor (Emeritus) of the History of Science at Harvard University. Among his recent books are Benjamin Franklin's Science (1996), Interactions (1994), and Science and the Founding Fathers (1992). Anne Whitman was coeditor (with I. Bernard Cohen and Alexander Koyré) of the Latin edition, with variant readings, of the Principia (1972). Julia Budenz, author of From the Gardens of Flora Baum (1984), is a multilingual classicist and poet.

"Copes ably with puzzles of Newtonian commentary. . .[A] new and handsome edition."—London Review of Books

"The Guide is not simply a guide to reading the Principia, but is a veritable cornucopia of topics related to that work, such as issues of translation, historical background, conceptual analyses, mathematical methods, and units used. As we would expect of the doyen of Newton scholars, Cohen's judgments and analyses are up to date, fascinating, and useful. . . . Cohen and Whitman's translation deserves to become the new standard. . . . With this fine translation . . . it is now much easier for serious readers to discover that magisterial work for themselves."—Physics Today

"An extremely impressive and useful new English translation of Newton's revolutionary work. . . . That such a project was completed so well is a result of astonishing scholarship and collaboration among a wide group of talented people. This reviewer applauds their work, as undoubtedly many other English readers will in time to come."—Psychological Reports

"A new paperback of an old book may not seem like a big deal, except when its author is arguably the greatest scientist of all time and the book was first published 312 years ago."—New York Times

"Will be of interest to a wide scientific and scholarly audience…the new translation flows smoothly and elegantly."—Times Higher Education Supplement

"This new, vastly better translation of the Principia is the perfect work for illustrating how science, at its best, succeeds in turning data into decisive evidence."—George E. Smith, Tufts University

"This translation is deeply impressive and will be the definitive version for a century to come. Cohen's guide is up-to-date on matters of Newton scholarship and free from discarded conjectures of the past."—Curtis Wilson, St. John's College