Title pages
Dutch editions
A gallery of title pages from Leeuwenhoek's self-published Dutch-language volumes in 1684, 1685, and 1686. Also, the pagination and running headers (verso and recto).
Each of these pamphlets was printed twice, in the 1680s and a decade later in the 1690s by Cornelis Boutesteyn and Hendrik Kroonevelt. The exceptions are Dobell #9. Cinnaber Naturalis, which was not reprinted until 1713, by Johan Langerak and #5. Onsigtbare Verborgentheden, which was re-printed twice by Boutesteyn.
Dobell's ordering, based apparently on the first part of Werken in his own set, placed these pamphlets out of chronological or numerical order. Dobell's #8, the title shortened here to Levende Dierkens, was the only one that had a frontispiece. Some versions of Werken bound it first. Note that it is in two parts, Letters 28-31 paginated as a group, with the frontispiece and a title page and Letters 34-36, paginated separately without a title page. This suggests a chronological order of #8 part i, #1, #8 part ii. Then #5 with Letters 38, 42, 43 has to get separated, but since they're paginated as a group, that would be difficult.
The running headers suggest that the first set of four and the second set of five were designed to be bound together, a general title page followed by sub-title pages. There are no surviving volumes with only the four Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen or only the five Ontledingen en Ontdekkingen, so apparently that plan turned into Werken Deel I, which included Dobell's nine.
By looking at these and other patterns in this gallery, you can see that Leeuwenhoek moved toward increasing uniformity. The last letter in these pamphlets was Letter 52 of July 10, 1686. Later that year, Leeuwenhoek published that letter in Cinnaber Naturalis. By the end of 1686, then, he was caught up. He had published all of the 25 letters he had written since April 1679.
Only ten of them had been excerpted in Philosophical Transactions, though another seven of them would be published there after Richard Waller replaced Edmond Halley as editor for volume 17 in 1693. Leeuwenhoek's appreciation in shown on one of the blank preliminary pages of Anatomia Seu interiora Rerum (above right; click to enlarge). Waller signed his name and noted that the volume was a gift of the author.
Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen
Experiences and Considerations
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
1. Onsigtbare Geschapene Waarheden viii + 1-8 + 1-32 + 1-19 v: Ondervingingen |
1a. Onsigtbare Geschapene Waarheden ii + 3-60 v: Ondervingingen |
2. Eyerstok van Gaesbeeck, 1684 ii +1-21 v: Ondervingingen |
2a. 37ste Missive Boutesteyn, 1696 1-20 v: Ondervingingen |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
3. Schobbens in de Mond iv + 1-24 v: Ondervingingen |
3a. 40ste Missive no publisher, no date (Dobell: 1696) 1-24 v: Ondervingingen |
4. Humor Cristallinus ii + 1-26 v: Ondervingingen |
17. 41ste Missive Kroonevelt, 1696 ii + 1-26 v: Ondervingingen |
Ontledingen en Ontdekkingen
Dissections and Discoveries
 |
 |
 |
|
|
5. Onsigtbare Verborgentheden Boutesteyn, 1685 ii + 3-94 (missing 73-78) v: Antoni van Leeuwenhoeks |
5a. Onsigtbare Verborgentheden Boutesteyn, 1691 ii + 3-88 v: Antoni van Leeuwenhoeks
|
5b. Onsigtbare Verborgentheden Boutesteyn, 1698 ii + 3-88 v: Antoni van Leeuwenhoeks |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
6. Sout-figuren Boutesteyn, 1685 ii + 3-76 3-39 41-76 |
6a. Sout-figuren Boutesteyn, 1698 ii + 3-76 3-39 41-76 |
7. Zaden van Boomen Boutesteyn, 1685 ii + 3-78 3-49 50-78 (changes in middle of second letter) |
7a. Zaden van Boomen Boutesteyn, 1697 ii + 3-78 3-49 50-78 (changes in middle of second letter) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
8. Levende Dierkens Boutesteyn, 1686 ii + 5-40 Letters 34-36 1-35 v: Antoni van Leeuwenhoeks |
8. Levende Dierkens Boutesteyn, 1696 v: Antoni van Leeuwenhoeks
|
9. Cinnaber Naturalis Boutesteyn, 1686 ii + 3-110 v: Antoni van Leeuwenhoeks |
9. Cinnaber Naturalis Langerak, 1713 ii + 3-110 v: Antoni van Leeuwenhoeks
|