Cohen began working on this book, together with a co-author, Anne Whitman, in 1974. In 1972, Cohen and Whitman published an edition of Principia, in Latin, that combined all three editions of Newton's Principia, showing the transformation of the work from the original to the third edition.

The publication of Cohen and Whitman's Latin edition was almost universally praised, according to Cohen. The comparison of Newton's three editions offered insight into the development of Newton's ideas, and shed light on the progression of Principia's important concepts.

The feedback was so strong and so positive, that Whitman and Cohen were strongly encouraged, by colleagues, to translate the work into English. Two years after their first book, Whitman and Cohen began their second monstrous project--the translation into English.

The only attempt to modernize the work in the past 370 years was a 1934 revision of Andrew Motte's 1729 translation.

However, Cohen called the book "full of errors" and was "as hard to understand as the original."

Whitman passed away in 1984, and Cohen has been working alone on the book since then.

Commenting on his research partner, Cohen said "I don't think there is anyone other than Anne Whitman who I could have worked with."