Everything about Micrographia totally explained
» This article is about the book. For the medical term, see Micrographia (handwriting). For artwork "drawn" with lines of minute characters, see Micrography.
Micrographia is a historical book by
Robert Hooke, detailing the then twenty-eight year-old Hooke's observations through various
lenses. Published September,
1664, it was an immediate best-seller. Hooke most famously describes a
fly's eye and a plant
cell (where he coined that term because plant cells, which are walled, reminded him of a monk's quarters). Known for its spectacular copperplate engravings of the miniature world, particularly its fold-out plates of
insects, the text itself reinforces the tremendous power of the new
microscope. The plates of insects fold out to be larger than the large
folio itself, the engraving of the
louse in particular folding out to four times the size of the book. Although the book is most known for foregrounding the power of the microscope,
Micrographia also describes distant
planetary bodies, the
wave theory of light, the organic origin of
fossils, and various other philosophical and scientific interests of its author.
Published under the aegis of
The Royal Society, the popularity of the book helped further the society's image and mission of being "the" scientifically progressive organization of
London.
Micrographia also focused attention on the miniature world, capturing the public's imagination in a radically new way. This impact is illustrated by
Samuel Pepys' reaction upon completing the tome: "the most ingenious book that I ever read in my life."
Image:HookeFlea01.jpg|Hooke's drawing of a flea
Image:Hooke-microscope.png|Hooke's microscope.
Image:RobertHookeMicrographia1665.jpg|Hooke was the first to apply the word "cell" to biological objects: Cork.
Bibliography
- Robert Hooke. "Micrographia: or, Some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses". London: J. Martyn and J. Allestry, 1665. (first edition).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Micrographia'.
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