Description: "Robert Hooke was England's first professional scientist and a pioneer of science communication. He was also one of the earliest to write a guide for how others might become "experimental philosophers" like himself. In this new biography, Felicity Henderson takes Hooke's scientific method as a starting point for an expedition into what Hooke himself saw as key aspects of a scientific life. Tracing this expansive life, the story draws readers through marketplaces, bookshops, construction sites, and coffee houses--even into the King's royal presence at Whitehall Palace. Henderson explains how Hooke's observations and conversations with the workmen, colleagues, craftsmen, and patrons he met through his work underpinned Hooke's research in significant ways. The result is a fresh portrait of the scientist as a champion of the mundane, whose greatest gift was to help the world see even the smallest parts of everyday life with new eyes."--
Brief description: Felicity Henderson is a senior lecturer in archives and material culture at the University of Exeter. She has written widely about Robert Hooke.
Review Quotes: "In her splendid myth-busting account, Felicity Henderson searches out the true Robert Hooke, scrutinising his own words to reveal an inspired researcher who drew up the blueprint for modern science. Beautifully written and illustrated, this penetrating book explores the thoughts and activities of a man who profoundly influenced the future."--Patricia Fara, author of 'Life after Gravity: Isaac Newton's London Career'