Book Brief · P3 (Prompt → Program → Proof)

The Best of All Possible Worlds

Michael Kempe · trans. Marshall Yarbrough · W. W. Norton (US, 2024) · Pushkin Press (UK, 2024) · 304 pp

Leibniz Biography History of Ideas Math & Philosophy

P3 Summary: Prompt → Program → Proof

Prompt & Question

Prompt: Create a concise, self-contained brief of Kempe’s Leibniz biography, highlighting the seven-day structure and reliable publication facts.

Question: What makes this biography distinctive, which seven days anchor it, and what are the key publication details (publisher, date, pages, translator)?

Data (Sources)

  • Google Books record (Norton; 304 pp; dates; day summaries; translator shown).[1]
  • VitalSource listing for print & eBook ISBNs (Norton).[2]
  • Pushkin/Guardian Bookshop page for UK edition (publisher, date, pages, description).[3]
  • Major reviews: Publishers Weekly, The Guardian, The New Yorker.[4], [5], [6]
  • SIAM News review summarizing all seven dated episodes; confirms translator & page count.[7]
  • Original-language/translation records (German 2022; French 2023).[8], [9]

Logic (How we evaluate)

  1. Use Google Books & VitalSource for canonical US metadata and ISBNs.
  2. Use Guardian Bookshop for UK imprint/date/pages and description.
  3. Use SIAM News for the explicit list of the seven days and translator confirmation.

Program (Driver)

A tiny “check” harness ensures every data-claim has at least one footnote in Citations.

// Pseudocode
const claims=[...document.querySelectorAll('[data-claim]')];
for (const c of claims) assert(c.querySelector('sup a[href^="#fn-"]'));
Proof = Reason Why + Check. “Reason Why” summarizes evidence; “Check” verifies structure.

Answer (TL;DR + Argument Map)

A biography told through seven pivotal days that knit together calculus, binary, metaphysics, and statecraft; English by Marshall Yarbrough (US: W. W. Norton; UK: Pushkin Press), 304 pp, Nov 2024.[1], [3], [7]

  1. 1675, Paris: First use of the integral sign ∫—the calculus moment.[1], [4]
  2. 1686, Zellerfeld: Mining work and a major philosophical letter to Arnauld.[7]
  3. 1696: A brief diary shows his project-juggling life.[7]
  4. 1703, Berlin: Binary arithmetic meets the I Ching via Jesuit correspondence.[1], [7]
  5. 1710, Hanover: Encounters around the Essays of Theodicy.[7]
  6. 1714, Vienna: Period of the Monadology; cross-domain synthesis.[1], [7]
  7. 1716, Bad Pyrmont/Hanover: Meeting Peter the Great; proposals for science/education reform.[7]

Reason Why (Evidence)

Google Books summarizes three of the featured days (Paris, 1675; Berlin, 1703; Vienna, 1714) and lists the book at 304 pages from W. W. Norton, with Yarbrough as translator.[1]

SIAM News explicitly enumerates all seven days and confirms US publication (Norton, 304 pp) and translation by Yarbrough.[7]

The UK product page (Guardian Bookshop for Pushkin Press) corroborates the seven-day structure and highlights math/philosophy moments (calculus; binary; science/faith).[3]

Reviews frame the book’s aim: revising the Pangloss stereotype and presenting Leibniz as a thinker of possibilities; see The Guardian, Publishers Weekly, and The New Yorker.[5], [4], [6]

Check (Self-test)

Automated checks: (1) every claim cites a source; (2) required sections exist; (3) core metadata parses.

    Running checks…

    Leibniz Track: Seven Pivotal Days (as presented in the book)

    1. Oct 29, 1675 (Paris): Leibniz commits the integral symbol to paper—seed of his calculus notation.[1], [4], [7]
    2. Feb 11, 1686 (Zellerfeld): Sends a philosophical manuscript to Antoine Arnauld amid Harz mining work.[7]
    3. Aug 13, 1696: Begins a diary (soon abandoned) that reveals his restless project-juggling.[7]
    4. Apr 17, 1703 (Berlin): Reports a Jesuit in China using Leibniz’s binary arithmetic to interpret the I Ching hexagrams.[1], [7]
    5. Jan 19, 1710 (Hanover): Long conversation with the von Uffenbach brothers; same year as the Essays of Theodicy.[7]
    6. Aug 26, 1714 (Vienna): Draws connections across ontology, biology, and mathematics (the period of the Monadology).[1], [7]
    7. Jul 2, 1716 (Bad Pyrmont/Hanover): Meets Peter the Great; pitches science and education reforms for Russia.[7]
    Takeaway: The seven-day lens ties calculus, binary logic, metaphysics, and statecraft into a unified portrait of a “universal genius.”[3], [5]

    Themes

    1. Not Pangloss, but possibility. Reviews stress Kempe’s reframing of Leibniz as a philosopher of the possible, not naïve optimism.[5], [6]
    2. Cross-domain thinking. The book highlights links from notation and binary to diplomacy, mining, and “global improvement.”[1], [4]

    Studies & Context

    • Publication timeline: US (Norton) Nov 12, 2024; UK (Pushkin) Nov 7, 2024; 304 pp; translator Marshall Yarbrough.[1], [3], [7]
    • ISBNs: Print 978-1324093947 (1324093943); eBook 978-1324093954 (1324093951).[2]
    • Origins & translations: German original 2022; French translation (Flammarion) 2023; UK/US English 2024.[8], [9], [3], [1]

    Glossary (quick reference)

    Integral sign ∫
    Leibniz’s symbol for integration; its first use is the centerpiece of the 1675 Paris day.[4], [7]
    Binary arithmetic
    Leibniz’s dyadic notation (0/1), later linked to the I Ching by Jesuit Joachim Bouvet (1703 letter).[1], [7]
    Monad
    Basic “unit” in Leibniz’s metaphysics; the 1714 Vienna day coincides with the Monadology period.[1], [5]

    Book Metadata

    • Title: The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Life of Leibniz in Seven Pivotal Days.[1]
    • Author: Michael Kempe; Translator: Marshall Yarbrough.[1], [7]
    • Publishers: W. W. Norton (US); Pushkin Press (UK).[1], [3]
    • Publication dates: US 2024-11-12; UK 2024-11-07.[1], [3]
    • Pages & ISBNs: 304 pp; print 978-1324093947; eBook 978-1324093954; print alt (1324093943), eBook alt (1324093951).[1], [2]

    Citations (for this page)

    1. Google Books — Norton record with 304 pp, dates, day summaries, translator. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
    2. VitalSource — US edition ISBNs (print & eBook) and Norton imprint. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
    3. Guardian Bookshop — Pushkin Press (UK) details: 304 pp; pub. date 7 Nov 2024; description. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
    4. Publishers Weekly — review outlining 1675 integral-sign episode and scope. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
    5. The Guardian — review emphasizing the “philosopher of the possible” framing. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
    6. The New Yorker — comparative review with historical context. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
    7. SIAM News — enumerates all seven days; confirms translator and 304 pp. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
    8. Flammarion (excerpt PDF) — notes original German title (S. Fischer, 2022) and French edition (2023). :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
    9. Fnac — French edition listing (date, publisher, translator). :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

    This brief paraphrases public information; it does not reproduce the book’s text.