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Principia Manuscript, Royal Society, Page Set 1

Humphrey Newton (scribe), Isaac Newton (author)

A page set from the manuscript of Newton's Principia, written out by his assistant Humphrey Newton.

The working manuscript of Newton's Principia, his major scientific work, drafted by his assistant.

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An open manuscript volume in a leather binding rests on a dark blue stand under display lighting. Handwritten brown-ink pages with dense script and some diagrams or numerals on the left page are visible. The page edges are visibly thick and aged.
Isaac Newton, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, manuscript pages 340-341. Royal Society, London. Photograph by Mike Peel.

About this source

What it is

This is a photograph of pages from the manuscript volume of Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, the text from which the first edition was printed. It was written in the hand of Humphrey Newton, Isaac Newton's assistant, and is held by the Royal Society in London.

Why it matters

The Principia set out Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation, among the most important works in the history of science. This manuscript shows the actual drafting process behind the printed book, and the role of Newton's assistant in preparing the text for publication.

Look closer

  • What can you tell about the writing process from the handwriting and any diagrams on the page?
  • Why might Newton have relied on an assistant to write out his manuscript?
  • What does a manuscript like this reveal that a printed book cannot?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Isaac Newton on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the 1687 first edition of Newton's Principia. Large capitals read PHILOSOPHIÆ NATURALIS PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA, with author credit, Imprimatur by S. Pepys, dated Julii 5, 1686, and London printing by Josephi Streater, Anno MDCLXXXVII.Book

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Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica

Isaac Newton · 1687

Title page with a page number marked [1] at top, reading PHILOSOPHIAE NATURALIS Principia MATHEMATICA, followed by the heading Definitiones and Def. I, with a Latin definition of quantity of matter in italic type. Faint bleed-through text from the reverse page is visible.Book

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Principia Mathematica, Page 1: Definitions

Isaac Newton · 1687

Black-and-white line engraving of an elderly man with long, wavy white hair seated in a dark armchair, wearing a dark coat, waistcoat, and white cravat, with his hands resting on his knee. A column appears at the right. Inscribed beneath: 'ISAACUS NEWTON EQ. AUR. ÆT. 83', with 'I. Vanderbank pinxit 1725' at lower left and 'Geo. Vertue Sculpsit 1726' at lower right.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, line engraving by Vertue, 1726

George Vertue · 1726

Engraved diagram on a cream page within a book, showing a curved comet path from Sol at left, with dated positions such as Nov. 25, Dec. 12, Jan. 5 and Mar. 5, labeled orbit lines and a sphere intersection line.Document

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Fold-out Diagram

Isaac Newton · 1687

Engraved portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, a man with long curled wig and dark robe, bust-length, against a shaded background. Caption below reads 'SIR ISAAC NEWTON' and publisher 'William Collins Glasgow & London'.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, stipple engraving by J. Scott after Kneller, 1702

J. Scott, after Sir Godfrey Kneller · 1702 (print made later)

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