Although much has been written on the intellectual achievements of the age of Newton, Boyle and Hooke, this book provided the first systematic assessment of the social relations of Restoration science when it was published in 1981. On the basis of a detailed analysis of the early history of the Royal Society, Professor Hunter examines the key issues concerning the role of science in late seventeenth-century England. The nature of the scientific community, the links between science and technology and science's political affiliations are all explored, while much light is cast on contemporary priorities in religion and learning through a reconsideration of attacks on science. At once wide-ranging and authoritative, this remains a work that no one concerned with science and its social integration in this formative period can afford to ignore.