Life After Gravity: Isaac Newton’s London Career.

Abstract

absent from Gibbs’s analysis. In addition, from a technical point of view, Gibbs has been let down by his publisher. The brilliant maps of Tudor London, published by the Historic Towns Trust, have been rendered almost unreadable by the poor quality and the loss of detail caused by black-and-white printing. Overall, Gibbs seems overly cautious to establish the rationale for his micro-historical case studies and to account for recent historiography, to the detriment of arguably more interesting lines of enquiry; individual examples are peppered throughout, although the parish-based (rather than thematic) approach often renders their wider implications unrealised. The book serves as a useful introduction to the subject, but—given the limitations imposed by the length of the book—there is certainly more that could be said, perhaps with a sharper insight and sensitivity to wider issues. As a foray into a complex topic, Gibbs is to be commended for drawing together challenging material and laying down a gauntlet that calls for further critical examination and conceptualisation of London’s parishes. But while London’s parish records (in conjunction with a myriad of other sources) offer the potential for rich studies, against the multifaceted backdrop of wider ecclesiastical trends (and not just that of mid-sixteenth century reforms), the overall feel of this book is that it has not done them—or the people who created them—justice.