Out of the shadow of a giant : Hooke, Halley and the birth of science / John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gribbin, John, 1946- author.

Gribbin, Mary, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Halley, Edmond, 1656-1742.

Halley, Edmond.

Hooke, Robert, 1635-1703.

Hooke, Robert.

Newton, Isaac, 1642-1727.

Newton, Isaac.

Science--Great Britain--History.

Science.

Science--History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (329 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

U.S. edition.

Place of Publication:

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2017]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

What if Newton had never lived? A compelling dual biography argues that Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley easily could have filled the giant's shoes-and deserve credit for the birth of modern science. Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley, whose place in history has been overshadowed by the giant figure of Newton, were pioneering scientists within their own right, and instrumental in establishing the Royal Society. Although Newton is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time and the father of the English scientific revolution, John and Mary Gribbin uncover the fascinating story of Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley, whose scientific achievements neatly embrace the hundred years or so during which science as we know it became established. They argue persuasively that, even without Newton, science would have made a great leap forward in the second half of the seventeenth century, headed by two extraordinary figures, Hooke and Halley.

Contents:

Front matter

Preface

Acknowledgements

CONTENTS

Introduction: Out of the Shadows

1. From Freshwater to Oxford

2. The Most Ingenious Book That Ever I Read In My Life

3. Monumental Achievements

4. Meanwhile . . .

5. From Hackney to the High Seas

6. Of Spring and Secretaryship

7. A Mission of Gravity

8. Halley, Newton and the Comet

9. Not Fade Away

10. To Command a King's Ship

11. Legacies

Coda: How to do Science

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliography (pages 286-289) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780300231540

0300231547

OCLC:

1143831587