The Romance of the Microscope by C. A. Ealand is a free public domain title published in 1921 that provides an excellent introduction to the microscope, its history, and various microscopic worlds to explore.
The book begins by covering the history of the microscope, beginning with Seneca’s writings in AD 63, and covering Euclid, da Vinci, Hooke, and Antony van Leeuwenhoek.
Then the microscope itself is examined — how it works and the various different types of microscopes.
The biggest portion of the book covers the various things a student will want to view under his microscope. These topics are divided by settings:
- Ponds and streams.
- Plant life.
- Animal life.
- Rocks.
- Food.
- Bacteria.
- Agriculture.
- Insects.
- Seaside.
- Chemicals.
- Textiles.
Each section provides a guide to things to look for.
You’ll also find a section on how the glass in a microscope is made.
The Romance of the Microscope is an excellent introduction to the world of microscopy — and it’s free!
Free eBook
Suggestions
- Create a microscope notebook.
- Make a narration page about the history of the microscope.
- Make a page for several things described in the book that you view under your microscope. Sketch what you see.
Activities
Microscopic Experiments & Labs
Several experiments at GreatScopes.com.
Unit Studies & Lesson Plans
What’s the Size of What You See
Microscope lesson at the Exploritorium.
Leeuwenhoek’s Microscope: A Unit Study
Tons of other resources in our unit.
Printables & Notebooking Pages
10 Ways to Use Notebooking: #7 Science
Lots of ideas and resources for creating your notebook.
Microscope Lab Journal
At GreatScopes.com.
Drawing & Writing Notebooking Paper {Free Download}
Simple pages for narrations, copying diagrams, or drawing illustrations and describing their meaning below.
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