Myriad, Microscopic and Marvellous

The World of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

Geertje Dekkers

$44.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Reaktion Books
01 December 2025

Biography: science, technology & engineering; Mathematics & Sciences; Microscopy; History of science; Microbiology (non-medical)

The pioneering Dutch microbiologist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek uncovered hidden worlds of minuscule life. With his ingenious, self-made microscopes, he observed inconceivably tiny creatures and structures everywhere, in well water, sperm, pimples and many other unlikely things besides. In the seventeenth century his discoveries opened the door to realms previously unseen, making him a renowned researcher.

Myriad, Microscopic and Marvellous explores Van Leeuwenhoek's brilliant and sometimes peculiar ideas, setting them in the context of his time. Geertje Dekkers reveals how Van Leeuwenhoek's curiosity and inventions propelled the study of nature in surprising new directions, leaving a legacy that is still admired three centuries later.

'This book is by far the best biography of van Leeuwenhoek to date. It is thoroughly documented, very well written (at times very funny), and [strikes] the right balance between academic discourse and the commonsense approach so cherished by van Leeuwenhoek...

A must-read for anyone interested in van Leeuwenhoek and, more generally, the cultural world of the Dutch seventeenth century.'

Eric Jorink, senior researcher at the Huygens Institute and co-editor of Newton and the Netherlands

By: Geertje Dekkers
Imprint: Reaktion Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781836390978
ISBN 10: 1836390971
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 01 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Geertje Dekkers is a historian and journalist who works for the Centraal Museum in Utrecht and the newspapers Historisch Nieuwsblad and de Volkskrant. Andy Brown is a translator specializing in Dutch. He lives in the Netherlands.

Reviews for Myriad, Microscopic and Marvellous: The World of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

""This book is by far the best biography of van Leeuwenhoek to date. It is thoroughly documented, very well written (at times very funny), and [strikes] the right balance between academic discourse and the commonsense approach so cherished by van Leeuwenhoek. . . . A must-read for anyone interested in van Leeuwenhoek and, more generally, the cultural world of the Dutch seventeenth century.""--Eric Jorink, senior researcher at the Huygens Institute and coeditor of ""Newton and the Netherlands""