Description
"Fascinating. . . . Jardine takes a complex view, according Hooke with the respect and dignity that eluded him for so long. . . and] with this compelling and empathetic portrait, she succeeds in making a convincing case for his place in history. . . as] a founding father in Europe's scientific revolution." -- Los Angeles Times
The brilliant, largely forgotten maverick Robert Hooke was an engineer, surveyor, architect, and inventor who worked tirelessly with his intimate friend Christopher Wren to rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666. He was the first Curator of Experiments at the Royal Society, and his engravings of natural phenomena seen under the new microscope appeared in his masterpiece, the acclaimed Micrographia, one of the most influential volumes of the day.
But Hooke's irascible temper and his passionate idealism proved fatal for his relationships with important political figures, most notably Sir Isaac Newton: their quarrel is legendary. As a result, historical greatness eluded Robert Hooke. Eminent historian Lisa Jardine does this original thinker of indefatigable curiosity and imagination justice and allows him to take his place as a major figure in the seventeenth century intellectual and scientific revolution.
Author: Lisa Jardine
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 01/18/2005
Pages: 464
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.12lbs
Size: 9.14h x 6.30w x 1.22d
ISBN13: 9780060538989
ISBN10: 0060538988
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Science & Technology
- Science | History
- History | Europe | Great Britain | Stuart Era (1603-1714)
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