The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended
The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended
By: Isaac Newton
PBK.005506
Printed Book
1770
England
English
Printed on Paper
10.2 × 8.3 × 2.2 in. (26 × 21.2 × 5.5 cm)
Not on View
Isaac Newton is universally known for his contributions to science—chiefly the law of gravity and the three laws of motion—but he was also a Christian who worked and wrote as much on religious topics as scientific issues. His scientific and religious interests came together in his study of chronology. Newton attempted to chart a history of humanity by meshing biblical history with extra-biblical histories and chronologies from the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and others. An abridgement of Newton’s chronological work was printed without his permission in 1725, provoking widespread interest in his unorthodox dates, which departed from the traditional consensus at many points. He died before releasing his full account, but his work was posthumously edited and published by friends. This 1770 edition included a letter from Zachary Pearce, Bishop of Rochester, explaining the details and controversy surrounding the publication of the text.
Printed in 1770 by T. Cadell, London, England. Acquired by 1895 by Correa Moylan Walsh, Bellport, New York.[1] Acquired by G. E. Stechert & Co., New York, New York.[2] Acquired by 2020 by Ted Steinbock, private collector, Louisville, Kentucky; Privately purchased in 2020 by Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.
Notes: [1] The inscription “Correa Moylan Walsh Bellport June 1895” appears on the front flyleaf. Correa Moylan Walsh was an American mathematician, statistician, and economist who spent most of his life in Bellport, Long Island, New York. [2] A sticker from the bookseller G. E. Stechert & Co. appears on the front pastedown, reading, “G. E. Stechert & Co. (Alfred Hafner) NEW YORK.” Alfred Hafner joined the company in 1889. He became the sole owner in 1914, and the company changed its name to Stechert-Hafner in 1946. This places the book’s acquisition between 1889 and 1946. Although it is possible Stechert & Co. owned the book before Correa Moylan Walsh—between Hafner’s arrival in 1889 and Walsh’s inscription in 1895—it seems unlikely Hafner’s name would have been included on the company sticker this early in his career. More likely, Stechert & Co. acquired the book after Walsh, once Hafner had been with the company for many years and acquired partial or full ownership.
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