I tend to like the historical approach, too. So did Bohr? "Just as many sports players go through warming-up exercises before entering the arena, so Bohr would relive the struggles which had taken place before the content of quantum mechanics was understood and accepted. I can say that in Bohr's mind this struggle started afresh every single day." -some book on 20th century physicists I don't recall<p>..but reading the original papers? I can't imagine ever deciphering Newton or Maxwell (before Heaviside fixed up the equations, it was some horrific mess of like, 20 equations with 20 unknowns). There are great benefits in a clean, logical development.<p>On the other hand, I hear Dirac's papers were remarkably clear. Maybe reading the originals is easier for math?<p>"..if one wishes to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils" -Abel