This volume represents a benchmark in the study of Robert Hooke (1635-1703), a genius whose wide-ranging achievements are at last receiving the recognition that they deserve. It brings together a comprehensive set of studies of different aspects of his life, thought and artistry, with sections on Hooke's life and reputation; his contributions to celestial mechanics and astronomy, and to speculative natural philosophy; the instruments that he designed; and his work in architecture and construction. The introduction places the studies in the context of our current understanding of Hooke and his milieu, while the book also contains a comprehensive bibliography.

Contents: Introduction. Part 1 Celestial Mechanics and Astronomy: Robert Hooke's seminal contribution to orbital dynamics, Michael Nauenberg; Hooke's programme: final thoughts, Ofer Gal; Robert Hooke as an astronomer, Hideto Nakajima. Part 2 Instruments for Natural Philosophy: Instruments and ingenuity, Jim Bennett; Hooke's design for a driven equatorial mounting, Allan Mills, John Hennessy and Stephen Watson; Assessment of the scientific value of Hooke's work, S.H. Joseph. Part 3 Speculative Philosophy: Hooke on memory and the memory of Hooke, Douwe Draaisma; Graphic technologies, Nick Wilding; Hooke's ideas of the terraqueous globe and a theory of evolution, Ellen Tan Drake. Part 4 Architecture and Construction: Hooke and Bedlam, Jacques Heyman; Robert Hooke's Montagu House, Alison Stoesser; The 'mechanick artist' in late seventeenth-century English and French architecture, Hentie Louw. Part 5 Life and Reputation: Robert Hooke: gentleman of science, Mordechai Feingold; Hooke and Westminster, Edward Smith; After the Principia, Robert D. Purrington; Robert Hooke: a reputation restored, Lisa Jardine. Bibliography; Index.