A contemporary of Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, and Isaac Newton, and close friend of all but Newton, Robert Hooke (1635-1703), one of the founders of the early scientific revolution, faded into almost complete obscurity after his death and remained there for nearly three centuries. The result has been that his role in the scientific revolution has been almost totally ignored. He was the first professional scientist worthy of the name, working for the young Royal Society of London as its curator of experiments for four decades. He became the Society’s intellectual center, and for a while its Secretary, roles which led to confrontation with Newton. He made important contributions to pneumatics, mechanics, microscopy, astronomy, and geology, and was partner to Wren in rebuilding London after the Fire.
From the reviews:
"Each chapter is abundantly annotated. These annotations do more than just give a source: they are often quite descriptive in themselves. ... This book describes the life of Hooke as well as his scientific contributions. Reading this book will enable one to see Hooke as the eclectic gentleman that he was. Anyone interested in Hooke or the London scientific community of the 17th century will certainly enjoy perusing it." (Herbert E. Kasube, The Mathematical Association of America, August, 2010)
"Each chapter is abundantly annotated. These annotations do more than just give a source: they are often quite descriptive in themselves. ... This book describes the life of Hooke as well as his scientific contributions. Reading this book will enable one to see Hooke as the eclectic gentleman that he was. Anyone interested in Hooke or the London scientific community of the 17th century will certainly enjoy perusing it." (Herbert E. Kasube, The Mathematical Association of America, August, 2010)