Thomas Sonar 
The History of the Priority Di∫pute between Newton and Leibniz 
Mathematics in History and Culture

This book provides a thrilling history of the famous priority dispute between Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Isaac Newton, presenting the episode for the first time in the context of cultural history. It introduces readers to the background of the dispute, details its escalation, and discusses the aftermath of the big divide, which extended well into r The Early Challengesnd the story is very intelligibly explained – an approach that offers general readers interested in the history of sciences and mathematics a window into the world of these two giants in their field. 





From the epilogue to the German edition by Eberhard Knobloch:


Thomas Sonar has traced the emergence and the escalation of this conflict, which was heightened by Leibniz’s rejection of Newton’s gravitation theory, in a grandiose, excitingly written monograph. With absolute competence, he also explains the mathematical context so that non-mathematicians will also profit from the book. Quod erat demonstrandum!

Table des matières

An Attunement.- `On ye Shoulders of Giants’.- The Warriors Grow Up.- The Cold War Begins.- The Apparent Relaxation.- The Aftermath of the Principia Mathematica.- The War is getting hot.- War of Extermination.- Beyond the Grave.- The Early Challenges.- The Aftermath of the War.- Epilogue.- Eberhard Knobloch’s Epilogue.- References.- List of Figures.- Index of Names.- Subject Index