In this well-written book, James Gleick (author of Chaos) tackles the life and work of Isaac Newton. He focuses on the man and his life in the historical context of Britain in the 17th Century, and, although the book is not a light read, he explains Newton's science well without the use of any equations.
Newton was born in 1642 in the time of the civil war (King Charles was beheaded when Newton was six years old).