Th is book examines how Isaac Newton’s reputation was utilized, and altered, by British men of science in biographies and historical studies published between 1820 and A detailed analysis of these works and the contexts in which they were produced demonstrates the contemporary signifi cance of these portraits for the scientifi c community. It is, therefore, among a number of recent ‘Reputational studies’ which argue that representations of historical fi gures refl ect the circumstances in which they are created and that the reputations of such fi gures can be used to legitimate current interests
