Newton's 1687 book on gravity, funded by Halley, sold for Rs 5.49 crore

A book published in 1687 helped change how humanity understood the universe. Written by English mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton, Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica presented mathematical laws that explained the movement of objects on Earth and the motion of planets and other celestial bodies.Nearly 340 years later, a first edition of this historic work sold for US$576,000, approximately Rs 5.49 crore, at Christie’s on October 13, 2026. The sale drew attention not only to Newton’s scientific legacy but also to the book’s survival through centuries of ownership. The copy featured a contemporary calfskin binding, a folding engraved plate illustrating a comet’s orbit, and diagrams printed alongside the text.