Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek: Master of the Minuscule

In Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Master of the Minuscule, the Father of Microbiology is presented in the context of his time, relationships and the Dutch Golden Age. Although he lacked an academic education, he dedicated his life to investigating the microscopic world using handmade, single-lensed microscopes and magnifiers. An expert observer, he planned experiments and designed equipment to test his theories. His pioneering discoveries included blood cells, protozoa, bacteria and spermatozoa, and resulted in an international reputation among the scientific and upper classes of 17th and 18th century Europe, aided by his Fellowship of the Royal Society of London.

This lavishly illustrated biography sets his legacy of scientific achievements against the ideas and reactions of his fellow scientists and other contemporaries.

Jantien Backer is a chemical engineer and works as a modeller at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, where she studies the transmission of infectious diseases using genetic information of pathogens.

Claud Biemans is a physical chemist, independent editor and science journalist based in Amsterdam.

Joop van Doorn is Manager Seed Technology with Enza Zaden, and responsible for vegetable seed health microbiology. He is vice president of the Board of the Royal Netherlands Society for Microbiology (KNVM).

Klaas Krab is a biochemist. Until his retirement in 2015 he worked as an Associate Professor at the Free University of Amsterdam in a systems biology department with a strong microbiological component

Lesley Robertson worked until 2015 at Delft University of Technology on biological sulphur and nitrogen removal from wastewater and as Biological Safety Officer. She curates the Delft School of Microbiology Archives and researches the use of (facsimile) van Leeuwenhoek microscopes.

Willem Reijnders is Biological Safety Officer at the Free University of Amsterdam.

Henk Smit worked on the production of oils and fats by microorganisms and plants and later as executive officer with various companies in the foodstuffs industry. He and his daughter now run a care farm for patients suffering from dementia.

Peter Willemsen is a microbiological researcher and project head at the Central Veterinary Institute in Lelystad. His research involves diverse subjects including infectious diseases and (animal) health issues. These are an inspiration for his writings on popular microbiology.