Overview

""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.

Full Product Details

9780060538989

Table of Contents

Reviews

First rate . both learned and delightfully readable. -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sure to become the standard life of Hooke. -- Publishers Weekly Sure to become the standard life of Hooke. --Publishers Weekly First rate ... both learned and delightfully readable. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch [Jardine's] lucid and easy-reading prose paints a vivid portrait of a curiously overlooked historical figure. --Washington Post Book World [Jardine s] lucid and easy-reading prose paints a vivid portrait of a curiously overlooked historical figure. --Washington Post Book World Sure to become the standard life of Hooke. --Publishers Weekly First rate both learned and delightfully readable. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Sure to become the standard life of Hooke. --Publishers Weekly First rate ... both learned and delightfully readable. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch [Jardine's] lucid and easy-reading prose paints a vivid portrait of a curiously overlooked historical figure. --Washington Post Book World

Author Information

Lisa Jardine, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, is the director of the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters, the centenary professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London, and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She lives with her husband and three children in London.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available