Newton and the Counterfeiter

This is one of those books that only underscores how little I know. I knew about Newton, sure, I'd even heard that great line of Pope's ('God said Let Newton be! and there was light.') but I certainly didn't know that after thirty years at Cambridge Newton got a patronage job at the Royal Mint and pretty much personally hauled the British nation back from the brink of bankruptcy, and further, acted in the capacity of criminal investigator (squee!) in chasing down counterfeiters.Reading this book is like eating a really long, really good dinner sitting next to a really good raconteur who knows all the fun facts about Newton and his time. Herein, you discover that the story about the apple was not, in fact, apocryphal, and thatIn 1943, at a dinner party at the Royal Society Club, a member pulled from his pocket two large apples of a variety called Flower of Kent, a cooking apple popular in the 1600s. These were, the owner explained, the fruit of one of the grafts of the original at Woolsthorpe. Newton's apple itself is no fairy tale; it budded, it ripened; almost three centuries later it could still be tasted in all the knowledge that flowed from its rumored fall.Eating of the fruit of the the tree of knowledge. Really, I just have to give another [squee!].They were crowd sourcing back then. Yes, they were:...how glorious it would be if gentlemen of England rose from their beds and made similar observations all over the country, building a picture not just of local conditions but of the varieties of climate throughout the realm...Hooke published his meteorological call to arms in the journal of the Royal Society...You'll find out why coins are ridged around the edge instead of smooth, that counterfeiting flourished in spite of a freely applied death penalty (always supposing you didn't have L6,000 to buy a pardon), that Newton spent twenty years trying to turn lead into gold, which had everything to do with his determination to prove the existence of God, and then refused to take communion from the Church of England before he died.Newton and indeed all science, or natural philosophy as it was called then benefited by the explosion of print media at that time. Anyone with an axe to grind and a few schillings could print a broadside and see it circulated, including William Chaloner, a coyner (counterfeiter) who wrote a broadside attacking bad practices inside the Mint and actually succeeded in getting the ear of the Parliamentary committee that oversaw it. He came way too close to getting a job inside the Mint itself and proved to be Newton's biggest foe. Chaloner, who got his start with sex toys, faked coins of every denomination, the first Bank of England notes, lottery tickets, you name it, if it served as legal tender, Chaloner made a copy and sold it.He was very careful about never distributing any of the fakes personally, farming that out to friends and associates, and therein his downfall, becauseLike any street cop in history--and unlike any other fellow of the Royal Society or Cambridge don--[Newton] would have to wade hip-deep into London's underworld.And wade he does. He even has himself appointed a justice of the peace so as to solve problems of jurisdiction over London's seven counties, and then, like any good natural philosopher, he starts gathering data.Most of London's coiners did not grasp the danger this strange new Warden posed. The documents Newton didn't burn [and the story behind that involves torture, extralegal, shades of extreme interrogation], all written between 1698 and 1700, reveal the almost unfair contest between the Warden and those who tried to trade in bad money.You get the feeling that Levenson feels a little sorry for those hapless counterfeiters, because Newton?Always gets his man.Highly recommended, and a quick read, too.

Newton and the Counterfeiter presents the reader with a compelling crime drama which took place among sweeping changes in science and economics. The reader is first introduced to the more classical presentation of the great Sir Isaac Newton and his accomplishments, predominantly in physics. From this, the author builds a picture of the way Newton's mind operated and his systematic approach to problems. Meanwhile, Britain is increasingly in danger of economic collapse due to price imbalances in foreign markets, war, and of course, counterfeiting. Levenson's description of the counterfeiter's trade is very interesting, well detailed, and reveals the history behind many of the current innovations of our own currency. In fact, the master criminal here, William Chaloner, and his techniques are clearly driving forces behind many changes in the way people thought about money. Today we take it for granted that bank notes, such as our federal bank notes, are "cash" and have almost inherent value. In fact, these are abstractions which have proven very useful for the world, especially for the explosive growth of the British Empire, but simultaneously lend themselves to crime. Chaloner comes on the scene during a time when counterfeiting could be done by small-time crooks or could involve the most skilled craftsmen working with new technologies. His skills and intelligence lead him to become the greatest counterfeiter of his time while always keeping one step ahead of the law. In fact, Chaloner plays both sides of the law throughout his life, lending his expertise both to his criminal enterprise and the English Mint, telling them what they're doing wrong. This criminal has a flare for the dramatic and walks a fine line between trying to gain a foothold in the mint itself and being revealed as the master counterfeiter. The author also gives us a very good look at Newton's investigations into alchemy. The irony of one of the world's most dedicated alchemists pursuing one of the world's greatest counterfeiters cannot be lost on the reader. Newton, as Warden of the Mint, catches the scent of the elusive Chaloner and the two duel it out. Newton tries to build a case against the criminal even as Chaloner works to undo any possible prosecution. Interrogations, rounding up the usual suspects, human intelligence networks, jailhouse spies, and double agents are all brought to bear in a battle that spans years. Some jailhouse scenes are worthy of Dickens' Fagin himself. Many Dickensian staples are visited throughout the book: Newgate prison, the Old Bailey, and Tyburn's Hanging Tree.No particular science background is necessary to enjoy this book. It would have been helpful to have an easy way to reference the relative value of different English denominations of the time which American readers such as myself may be less familiar with. Levenson does a good job explaining the economic forces driving the drain of precious metal currency from England into Europe then Asia which helps counterfeiting to flourish. The book has VERY extensive notes comprising roughly the last %43 of the book according to my Kindle. I did not, however, feel shortchanged as the length of the book was comfortable for the material. This book is a solid read for a little history, and little economics, and a lot of crime. Recommended.

Sir Isaac Newton summons immediate thoughts of and a belief in the greatest scientific thinker of 17th Century England. A loner and reclusive man who applied himself to mastering a full understanding of calculus, mathematical interpretation and, in mechanical completeness, those physical laws such as motion, energy, light, optics, etc. which could definitively explain his and our understanding of, essentially, God as Creator of His 'system of the world.' In recent years his less well known but long-term embracing of alchemy, divinity and biblical prophecy, have all been revealed. Two books which cover these essential aspects of Newton's life are the succinctly explanatory 'Newton's Gift' by David Berlinski and the first-rate 'Isaac Newton The Last Sorcerer' by Michael White.Adding further now to Newton's colossal cerebral achievements, Thomas Levenson, a most wonderful raconteur and storyteller, has written the fluid yet truthful account 'Newton and the Counterfeiter.' It reads as well as all good novels should, yet remains true to the facts - no easy feat - so that we can now be made aware that in The Royal Mint's direst hour - when England's currency had become bastardised, debased and brought so low in worth that the country teetered on the edge of monetary ruin, it was the self same Newton who, as Warden of the Mint, oversaw and implemented a complete overhaul of the production of the coin of the realm, arguably saving England from national fiscal insolvency.Yet the book does not confine itself to Newton's planning, management and production skills for his country's newly-revitalised currency. Enter William Chaloner, master counterfeiter, and often times a most worthy and cunning opponent for the greatest analytical mind of the age. Even if the story of Chaloner's efforts to swindle the nation, and to produce counterfeit currency on an enormous scale never quite reaches the dizzy heights of Holmes versus Moriarty, the game was clearly afoot and a ripping yarn awaits. Except that that this ripping yarn is true. Newton certainly needed all his resolve, single-mindedness, detective skills and a certain police-like control of a network of informers and 'thief-takers,' who assisted him to defeat all who stood against England's glorious and wealthy future. Chaloner never realised that Newton equated counterfeiting and debasing of the currency with profane crime, almost blasphemy, and a crime that threatened divine law itself. That Newton was on a mission from Parliament was obvious, but the author shows us a side of his character that embraced such a ruthlessness and unforgiving aspect of his nature that it can only properly be explained by accepting that Newton himself believed that he was also engaged in God's work. Newton was not a hater. Put simply, he was a driven man and this book reveals him as such.The book is superbly researched, historically titillating and splendidly descriptive of the stink and squalor that made its disgusting home alongside the mercantile expansion, foppery and naive riches of London from the mid 17th Century on.A worthy addition to all we thought we knew about arguably the greatest original thinking scientist of the modern age. An absolutely absorbing and brilliant read.

When someone mentions Sir Isaac Newton, you immediately think of the father of science, the three laws of motion, apples and gravity, modern mathematics, the principle of optics, chemistry, theology etc, etc, etc. But what did he do after he had revolutionised modern thinking? It turns out he became the Warden of the Mint, responsible for guaranteeing the value of the currency, and for catching counterfeiters.This part of his life is often neglected, when discussing Newton people tend to concentrate on his intellectual achievements, and his famous arguments with Hooke and Leibnitz. But the job of Warden of the Mint required no less intellect than his scientific studies, with the systems he set up to prevent counterfeiting, and his painstaking investigations that would send counterfeiters to the gallows.This book details his entanglements with William Chaloner, the greatest counterfeiter of his day, a man of great powers who managed to evade capture for years, along the way even managed to cast doubt on Newton's powers and probity, and even tried to get himself inserted into the Mint!This book reads a bit like a good thriller. There is a brief description of Newton's early life, leading up to his reasons for taking the job at the Mint. A description of the known facts of Chaloner's early life is given, then there follows the details of the battle between the two, as Newton struggled to bring his quarry to justice. Along the way we also learn much about the foundations of modern finance and banks, which were methods to solve economic problems that bear a strange resemblance to those faced in the current economic crisis! It's gripping stuff, and even better, it's all true. The book has been excellently researched, the author has drawn from a wide range of reliable documentary evidence to build his tale. It's not a dry biography however, it's written in a very accessible style.I would highly recommend this book, it will appeal to all fans of good crime thrillers, or anyone interested in Newton and would like to know a bit more about the man himself. 5 Stars with no hesitation.

This story has two main characters, one (the counterfeiter) more likeable than the other (Newton). The counterfeiter was a lad from the sticks on the make in London. He began counterfeiting in a small way (clipping silver coins), tried for the jackpot years later and in the end lost his head. Newton was a mathematical genius and a bore (at least in mathematics). As is well known he was something of a cheat and a bit of a snide. Newton studied at Cambridge University, became resident there and wrote during his residency his famous work on mathematics. Did he invent calculus? Well, that's another story. The counterfeiter lived off his wits and studied at that great university of life, the streets of London. In those days (the late-1600s), silver was more valuable than gold and large quantities of English silver coins were being sold in Continental Europe for more than could be bought with them in England. If you clipped silver coins, you could "harvest" enough to make another (albeit underweight) coin and pass it off as the real thing along with the other lightweights. The counterfeiter graduated from clipping silver coins to minting complete duds, so good that they passed for legitimate coinage in and around London. English coinage was in meltdown. Its debasement was almost complete when Newton arrived on the scene. He left Cambridge to head up the Royal Mint and set about in a disciplined way reorganising the Mint and building cases against counterfeiters, including our likely lad. Rather cheekily, the lad had offered at one point to reorganise operations at the Mint and stamp out the corruption there. Had he got his feet under that table, he would have been ideally placed to continue his counterfeiting from the inside. His offer was rejected by the government minister responsible for the Mint. Newton caught some of the smaller fry involved in counterfeiting but suffered several setbacks in his efforts to trap our likely lad. Eventually, Newton succeeded in closing the net on him. The book is not exactly a ripping yarn - with Newton as one of the main characters it could never be - but it is a great read.

The fact that we are introduced to a part of Newton's life to which few have paid attention, is probably the biggest pull to this book. I would not say this is a gripping story, though. There is not much tension or drama in it. The author has tried to pull more out of the battle between Newton and Chaloner than there really was. Newton's "deadly struggle" with Chaloner was really only deadly for Chaloner, who risked being caught and executed for counterfeiting. As for Newton, it was all part of the job. However, it's an interesting read from a historical perspective. For those with an interest in the subject, but little background, this book provides a glimpse into some of the monetary troubles facing England in the late 17th century and the beginnings of the use of paper money. Basically, it's a look at Newton's successful time at the Royal Mint. And for all that, the book has done a great job. The brief biography of Newton in the first half of the book is worth reading, and I found particularly fascinating Newton's fervent wish to "prove" G-d through alchemy. An interesting subject worth further reading. Readers should just be forewarned that, although it's a good story, it's by no means a thriller. But that shouldn't discourage anyone from picking it up, for after all, it's an enjoyable little book.

This book is beautifully written if, like me, you find non fiction can sometimes be hard work. Thomas Levenson has researched his subject well and makes it easy to picture the times he is describing. I was happy to read through the mathematical aspect relating to Newton's early studies and scholarly life and not feel I had to completely understand all the technique and theory involved in order to get to grips with what was going on (a bit like Locke when presented with Newton's theories). I also enjoyed reading all about William Chaloner's escapades and some of the concepts (such as painting clothes to regenerate them) give a brilliant insight into the societal practices of the era.