Secrets Reveal'd

We are delighted to announce that a digital version of our copy of the intriguingly titled Secrets reveal'd -- with copious annotations by Isaac Newton -- is now part of the UW Digital Collections: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/HistSciTech.Newton. Thanks to Melissa McLimans and Cat Phan of the UW Digital Collections Center for making images of this volume available to a world-wide audience. The images were produced using the Indus Color Book Scanner 5002 in the Department of Special Collections.

The full title of the work, attributed to George Starkey (1627-1665), is Secrets reveal'd: Or, an open entrance to the shut-palace of the King: Containing the greatest treasure in chymistry never yet so plainly discovered (London: Printed by W. Godbid for William Cooper ..., 1669).

Newton's annotations, which begin on the title page, speak to his careful, even cantakerous, reading of the work, as well as his deep interest in matters chemical and alchemical. 

This copy is part of the Duveen Collection in Special Collections, one of ten titles in our holdings that were owned by Newton. Expect to see more of these titles from Newton's library in UW Digital Collections over the coming months. 

Shown here: pages 16-17. 

For more about Newton's work on chemistry (or chymistry, as it was then spelled), please consult the rich resources of The Chymistry of Isaac Newton project at Indiana University.