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 common-sense 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, Professor at Leiden University and co-editor of Newton and the Netherlands *
Van Leeuwenhoek is deservedly famous in Holland for his astonishing microscopic discoveries but he’s almost unknown elsewhere. This is an informative and entertaining introduction to his life and work, setting his observations of micro-organisms, blood cells and so on in the context of everyday life and the big scientific questions of early modern Europe. It restores Van Leeuwenhoek to his rightful place alongside Hooke, Newton, Leibniz and other great scientists of his time. * Felicity Henderson, Senior Lecturer in Archives and Material Culture at the University of Exeter and author of Robert Hooke’s Experimental Philosophy *
We may know of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek the microscopist, but what of Van Leeuwenhoek the man? Geertje Dekkers offers a concise and captivating taste of his world as revealed by his copious letters. Come back to seventeenth-century Delft and see where microscopy was born. * Brian J. Ford, Hon FRMS, Hon FLS, author of The Leeuwenhoek Legacy *

Geertje Dekkers is a historian and journalist who works for the Centraal Museum in Utrecht as well as Historisch Nieuwsblad and de Volkskrant.