Book Review: Newton and the Counterfeiter

Released earlier this year, Thomas Levenson's _Newton and the
Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World’s Greatest
Scientist_ takes you to London, 1699.

Having been rebuilt only a generation before, following the Great Fire
of 1666, the town is at once opulent and squalid, close and large. An
award-winning video producer for PBS Nova, Levenson delivers a
narrative that is rich with sensory adjectives. To be sure, this is
creative non-fiction. Meeting a counterfeiter in a pub, "Newton
swallowed his impatience." Whether he did or not is beyond
assessment. The book is nonetheless factual. Levenson teaches
science journalism at MIT, so it is no surprise that 150 footnotes and
another 150 bibliographic entries support the story.

Whether or not Newton's career as an investigator and prosecutor is
"unknown" may also be putative. Certainly, numismatists have known of
it, since Sir John Craig's works. (Sir John Craig was Deputy Master
and Comptroller of the British Royal Mint.)
_Newton at the Mint_ (Cambridge: University Press, 1946).
"Isaac Newton—Crime Investigator," _Nature_ 182, 149-152 (19 July
1958)
"Isaac Newton and the Counterfeiters." _Notes and Records of the
Royal Society_ 18), London: 1963.

Levenson cites those; and he nods to Richard Westfall, widely regarded
as the most complete and accurate of Newton's biographers. Westfall's
book, _Never at Rest_, touches only lightly on the matter at hand.

As the Warden (and later Master) of the British Royal Mint, Newton was
responsible for taking action against counterfeiters. Realize though
that the same duty had fallen to previous wardens who did little.
They did little about counterfeiting and little else besides. The job
was supposed to be a sinecure for a gentleman. But Newton was a hands-
on kind of guy. As a young man, to investigate the action of light
within the eye, he inserted a dagger (bodkin) between his eyeball and
socket to deform the sensory organ and record the results. When
working mathematics problems, he forgot to eat -- and performed the
work in his head before committing it to paper. Paper drafts we have
in the multiples. He copied everything important, even as he edited
it. Thus, he left behind two fat folios of depositions and
interrogations as he invested two hard years running down London's
false coiners. Among the papers are his receipts for the disguises he
wore and the ale he bought while undercover in dank and dangerous
pubs, meeting informants and informers.

Levenson introduces Newton, brieftly, but accurately. Newton,
presumably, we know. Then, we meet Chaloner. Levenson uncovered
Chaloner's own publications as well as an anonymous biography
published after his hanging. Chaloner was an escaped apprentice. His
only lawful skills were in making nails and painting clothes. But he
was a master rogue. From selling fake watches, he moved into fake
coins. (He would have had a great time on eBay.) He sought the good
things in life and achieved some of them, actually giving testimony to
Parliamentary committees and (temporarily) having the attention of the
Earl of Monmouth, Lord of the Treasury, and being paid well by the
Crown for informing on criminals, some of whom he entrapped in
conspiracies of his own design. In addition, of course, he had his
income from counterfeiting. Chaloner was clever. But Newton was
brilliant. Counterfeiting was the death of William Chaloner.

This book is in print, it retails for $25. I borrowed it from my
university library while waiting for coupons from Borders. Barnes and
Noble has it for $20 online. Other great deals are out there, of
course, but in any case, any numismatist's bookshelf will be graced by
its acquistion.

You can view a video trailer for the book several ways. Goto the
Barnes and Noble website. Select BN Media and enter "Newton and the
Counterfeiter" in the Search box.
The same video is on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_1Vr1-xc6c
And YouTube is where the publisher posted the same video
http://www.youtube.com/v/W_1Vr1-xc6c&hl=en&fs=1

Mike M.
Michael E. Marotta
"Seldom at rest."