Old books on Water : "Agnes Catlow’s Drops of Water: Their Marvellous and Beautiful Inhabitants Displayed by the Microscope "
Year of Publication : 1851 This is the book on microscopic organisms available in a drop of water observed just after the invention of microscope.
What was the book about?
In the 1850s, the British became fascinated with microscopes, with Robert Hooke's Micrographia gaining popularity. Samuel Pepys, a wealthy reader, was able to afford a microscope. However, microscopes remained out of reach for amateurs until the Victorian era. Agnes Catlow's "Drops of Water; Their Marvellous and Beautiful Inhabitants Displayed by The Microscope" (1851) introduced the unseen world of animalcules, allowing amateurs to explore the invisible world.
“Throughout Catlow is careful to emphasize the cheerful novelty of what can be seen in these “minute portions” of the Creator’s work. She calls herself an amateur and addresses herself to amateurs — most of whom she assumes to be children, new to science. Her intention is to keep things light. Yet, even acknowledging the beauty of her descriptions, there is more than a hint of the monstrous in the shifting, aqueous shapes of these invisible creatures.”
Some Screenshots
Screenshots of the book are shown above. The Content, Preface, Cover page of the first chapter and dedication are depicted. The full book was published in 1851.
The book can be accessed at