Robert Hooke

Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was one of the greatest figures in the generation when English science first took the lead in the Scientific Revolution. Best know for his Micrographia (1665), which combined an exposition of the findings of the microscope with speculations on a variety of scientific topics, Hooke also made major contributions to an astonishing range of subjects, from pneumatics to geology. Equally important was his ingenuity and skill in inventing and refining scientific instruments, clocks and other technological devices, in which he was virtually unsurpassed. Despite his importance, Hooke has been neglected by comparison with his contemporaries, notably Sir Isaac Newton, and this book is intended to redress this balance. It comprises a series of studies of different aspects of Hooke's ideas and activities, from instruments to illness, matter theory to mechanics. Many of these are based on hitherto neglected sources, including a previously unknown inventory of Hooke's possessions at his death, the text of which is included in full. Apart from the significance of these detailed studies in their own right, they provide a new view of Hooke, which anchors him more firmly than hitherto in his social and intellectual milieu and explores the implications of this for his scientific work. Together, they provide a fresh insight into the formative period of modern science.MICHAEL HUNTER is Reader in History, Birkbeck College, University of London; his published work includes 'An Astrological Diary of the 17th Century: Samuel Jeake of Rye' and 'Science and Society in Restoration England'. SIMON SCHAFFER is University Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. He has published 'The Uses of Experiment: Studies in the Natural Science' and 'William Whewell: Studies on his Life and Work'(co-editor).