Newton and the Counterfeiter

The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist

By: Thomas Levenson

Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau

In 1695, Isaac Newton, already renowned as the greatest mind of his age, made a surprising career change. He left quiet Cambridge, where he had lived for 30 years and made his earth-shattering discoveries, and moved to London to take up the post of Warden of His Majestys Mint.

Newton was preceded to the city by a genius of another kind, the budding criminal William Chaloner. Thanks to his preternatural skills as a counterfeiter, Chaloner was rapidly rising in London's highly competitive underworld, at a time when organized law enforcement was all but unknown and money in the modern sense was just coming into being. Then he crossed paths with the formidable new warden.

In the courts and streets of London, and amid the tremors of a world being transformed by the ideas Newton himself had set in motion, the chase was on. This astonishing tale of Isaac Newton's journey from Cambridge's ivory tower to London's underworld will appeal to fans of The Professor and the Madman.

©2009 Thomas Levenson (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Newton and the Counterfeiter humanizes a legend, transforming him into a Sherlock Holmes in pursuit of his own private Moriarity." (The Washington Post)

• Best Books 2009 (Library Journal)

• Best Books of 2009 (New York Magazine)

Exciting true story

Truly an exciting story I didn’t wanna put the book down. I kept listening and listening.

Fascinating.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Newton and the Counterfeiter?

This book is about Newton, but it is also about the world around Newton--it is about Newton's London, which is a topic as interesting as Newton himself.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Pariseau’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Any additional comments?

Terrific Historical Biography

I couldn't stop listening to this great biography. By putting such people as Locke and Halley into context, making the science (mostly) understandable, and discovering that Newton was one of the first great English detectives, makes this a must listen. The narrator does a fantastic job.

Newton in entirely new light

What made the experience of listening to Newton and the Counterfeiter the most enjoyable?

Equal parts of science and cops & robbers.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Newton of course. He is as intense as a bureaucrat as he was a philosopher.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Pariseau’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No -- but it was quite riveting.

Any additional comments?

I have been fascinated by Newton ever since I was a kid. This book made me realize that he spent but a fraction of his life doing what we best know him for. If alchemy hadn't interested him as much as it did, and if the mint hadn't taken up as much of his time as it did, one can only wonder what other amazing things he would have accomplished.

Interesting but Long

The core of the biography on Newton and his work with the mint is quite interesting as is the general survey of his life. Just wish it had been edited down a bit as the narrative drags in place. Still on the whole a good listen.