Drawing upon previous works by Hooke, Swammerdam, Adams and others, Evenings at the Microscope illustrates the continuing appetite for intellectual entertainment with the microscope in the 19th century. Gosse (1810-1888), one of the most popular writers of natural history in English, coined the term “aquarium” and was responsible for the first public aquarium at the London Zoo.

Nearly 100 illustrations drawn “direct from the Microscope” accompany Gosse’s engaging descriptions of the wonders of the small worlds it disclosed. 

Gosse wrote in the style of “a series of imaginary conversaziones, or microscopical soirèes; in which the author acts as the provider of scientific entertainment and instruction to a circle of friends,” yet in such a way that “the precision essential to science” is never sacrificed.

Gosse’s lively storytelling promoted popular interest in microscopy combined with the investigation of aquatic life through seaside holidays. He authored more than 30 wide-ranging works held in the OU History of Science Collections, including: A Year at the Shore; The Aquarium, an Unveiling of the Wonders of the Deep Sea; The Rotifera; The Highest Andes; The Canadian Naturalist; Birds of Jamaica; A Naturalist’s Rambles on the Devonshire Coast; Monuments of Ancient Egypt; The Romance of Natural History; and Omphalos: An Attempt to Untie the Geological Knot.

L.C. Croft, in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, explains: “Much of Gosse’s success was due to the fact that he was essentially a field naturalist who was able to impart to his readers something of the thrill of studying living animals at first hand rather than the dead disjointed ones of the museum shelf. In addition to this he was a skilled scientific draughtsman who was able to illustrate his books himself.”