Henry Oldenburg

by Marie Boas Hall

"The career of Henry Oldenburg illuminates the development of the Royal Society during the late seventeenth century. Born in 1619 in Bremen, Germany, Oldenburg first came to England as a diplomat on a mission to see Oliver Cromwell. He remained in England and in 1662 became the Secretary of the Royal Society, and its best known member of the time. He founded and edited the Philosophical Transactions, the world's oldest scientific journal. Through his extensive correspondence, now published, he disseminated the Society's ideal s and methods at home and abroad. He fostered and encouraged the talents of many scientists including Newton, Flamsteed, Malpighi, and Leeuwenhoek with whom, as with many others, he developed real friendships." "His career sheds light on the intellectual world of his time, especially its scientific aspects; his private life expands on our knowledge of contemporary social mobility, urban society, and religious views."--Jacket.