New Exhibition Opens: "Hooke’s Books"

The History of Medicine Division (HMD) of the National Library of Medicine is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit, “Hooke’s Books: Books that Influenced or Were Influenced by Robert Hooke’s Micrographia.” It is located in display cases in the HMD Reading Room, on the first floor of Building 38, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. The exhibit is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, through November 1, 2007.

Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was a remarkably versatile man — artist, biologist, physicist, engineer, architect, inventor, and more. However, his crowning glory was Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses, first published 1665. It was a masterpiece — an exquisitely illustrated introduction to the previously unknown microscopic world. This exhibit focuses on Hooke’s influences and legacy in print, the pioneering books that stimulated Hooke’s research, and the works he left for others — most famously the great Dutch microscopist, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723).

The exhibit features a selection of books from the NLM collection, plus a facsimile of Hooke’s own microscope. It is a companion to NLM’s latest “Turning the Pages” production, a digital selection from Micrographia, which can be viewed at http://ttp.nlm.nih.gov.

For directions, parking and security information, campus maps, etc., go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/visitor.html or call 301.402-8878.

Last reviewed: 01 August 2007
Last updated: 01 August 2007
First published: 01 August 2007
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