Who wrote letters to Leeuwenhoek?
Of the no doubt thousands of letters Leeuwenhoek received over his adult life, very few have survived. Most of them are from officers of the Royal Society; copies are in its Letter Books Original and Early Letters archives. Some letters by Huygens, Heinsius, and Leibniz are preserved in Dutch and German archives. The letter by Bidloo was published at the time. Many of the letters, for example, those by Rabus, are available at the ePistolarium. Letters from Magliabechi are known from excerpts in Rabus's Boekzaal van Europe.
However, most of the letters to Leeuwenhoek are known only by reference in other letters or other sources.
The letters to Leeuwenhoek are listed chronologically under What happened? below. On the list here, alphabetical by sender's last name, the dates for letters from England are expressed in New Style, which was 10 days (before 1700) and 11 days (after 1700) ahead of the Old Style dates used in England. Including both letters to and from those correspondents shows the extent and sequence of the exchange of letters.
Johan Arnoldi
late Dec 1697 - 15 Jan 1698 to Arnoldi
15 January 1698 from
February 1698 to
April 1698 from
April 1698 to
February 1699 from
February 1699 to
Adriaen van Assendelft
25 March 1713 to
4 November 1714 to
Francis Aston
26 February 1683 from
9 March 1683 to
27 March 1683 from
27 August 1683 from
17 September 1683 to
11 October 1683 from
26 October 1683 to
28 Decemer 1683 to
7 March 1684 from
14 April 1684 to
7 June 1684 from
August-mid-October 1684 from
20 January 1685 from
19 February 1685 from
27 June 1685 from
between 23 July and 22 October 1685 from
Victor van Beughem
May 1697 to
Govert Bidloo
19 January 1698 to
21 March 1698 from
7 March 1706 to
12 March 1706 from
Ewout van Bleyswyck
6 May 1717 to
Hendrik van Bleyswijk
28 December 1695 to
29 August 1696 to
27 September 1696 to
20 May 1700 to
9 February 1702 to
Herman Boerhaave
28 September 1716 to
4 November 1716 from
10 October 1716 from
5 November 1716 to
21 November 1716 to
26 August 1717 to
Robert Boyle
28 July 1676 to
1677 to
1678 to
6 August 1687 to
1688 to
12 January 1689 to
William Brouncker
16 October 1677 to
November 1677 to
2 December 1677 to
Siewert Centen
7 February 1704 from
mid-February 1704 to
late February - early March 1704 from
John Chamberlayne
24 April 1701 from
21 June 1701 to
12 September 1702 from
8 December 1702 to
3 October 1704 to
2 December 1704 from
3 March 1705 to
31 March 1707 from
17 May 1707 to
10 September 1709 to
22 November 1709 to
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
8 December 1717 to
Antoni Cinck
24 October 1713 to
26 March 1715 to
2 July 1715 from
7 July 1715 to
24 May 1716 from Cinck, Narez, Rega
12 June 1716 to
6 July 1717 to
Francesco Cornaro
November 1705 from
18 December 1705 to
28 November 1718 to
Theodore Craanen
1676 to
1677 from
Daniel Gaesbeeck
1 January 1684 from
24 July 1684 from
Thomas Gale
16 March 1680 from
13 May 1680 to
14 June 1680 to
28 September 1680 to
12 March 1686 from
George Garden
3 September 1693 from
Luca Giamberti
July 1697 to
19 July 1697 from
David Gregory
17 July 1681 from
Nehemiah Grew
12 January 1678 from
18 March 1678 to
20 April 1678 from
31 May 1678 to
27 September 1678 to
13 October 1678 from
21 February 1679 to
25 April 1679 to
13 June 1679 to
Jacob Gronovius
11 July 1686 from
Benedictus Haan
28 February 1694 from
Edmond Halley
12 March 1686 from
25 May 1686 from
John Harwood
17 May 1697 from
Anthonie Heinsius
20 May 1683 to
7 June 1683 from
22 July 1683 to
2 September 1683 to
10 September 1683 from
16 September 1683 to
30 September 1683 to
8 October 1683 from
14 October 1683 to
3 August 1685 from
10 August 1685 to
31 August 1685 from
1685-1715 20 letters to
28 February 1715 from
25 February 1716 to
Karl von Hessen-Kassel
after 6 October 1685 from
20 April 1702 to
20 April 1702 to
Robert Hooke
14 January 1678 to
11 February 1678 from
28 April 1678 from
August 1679 from
13 October 1679 to
27 October 1679 from
20 November 1679 to
12 January 1680 to
16 January 1680 to
2 February 1680 from
13 February 1680 to
5 April 1680 to
22 April 1680 from
13 May 1680 to
14 June 1680 to
9 August 1680 to
12 November 1680 to
4 July 1681 from
4 November 1681 to
December 1681 from
3 March 1682 to
20 March 1682 from
26 March 1682 from
4 April 1682 to
28 July 1682 to
9 June 1698 from
11 January 1678 from
Pieter Hotton
September 1704 from Hotton
September 1704 to
Christiaan Huygens
15 February 1677 to
15 May 1679 to
6 March 1689 from
October 1689 to
6 March 1690 from
20 October 1692 from
Constantijn Huygens
February 1674 from
5 April 1674 to
11 April 1674 from
24 April 1674 to
26 December 1674 to
7 November 1676 to
8 December 1677 from
23 December 1678 from
26 December 1678 to
27 April 1679 to
4 May 1679 from
20 May 1679 to
17 December 1685 from
James II, King of England
1 March 1687 to
James Jurin
5 March 1722 from
1 May 1722 to
26 May 1722 from
13 June 1722 to
7 July 1722 to
12 October 1722 from
20 November 1722 to
4 January 1723 from
19 March 1723 to
6 July 1723 from
August 1723 to
August 1723 to
Jan Gerard Kerkherdere
22 June 1716 to
13 July 1717 to
Jan van Leeuwen
18 August 1697 from
3 September 1697 to
Gottfried Leibniz
1696 from
1696 to
1715 to
5 August 1715 from
28 September 1715 to
29 October 1715 from
18 November 1715 to
18 November 1715 to
1716 to
3 March 1716 to
31 March 1716 from
19 May 1716 to
25 September 1716 from
17 November 1716 to
Gerard van Loon
October 1713 from
16 May 1716 to
Antonio Magliabechi
16 March 1686 from
12 April 1686 to
10 September 1686 to
30 October 1686 to
1689 to
27 May 1691 from
18 September 1691 to
24 June 1692 from
before 2 March 1694 from
1695 to
16 August 1695 to
12 October 1695 from
14 October 1695 from
18 October 1695 to
23 October 1695 from
31 October 1695 to
5 November 1695 from
22 December 1695 to
6 March 1696 from
5 June 1696 from
8 July 1696 from
28 August 1696 to
7 September 1696 to
18 December 1696 from
Feb-May 1697 from
1 June 1697 from
6 June 1697 to
August 1697 from
2 November 1697 to
1698 from
20 February 1698 to
March 1698 from
17 April 1698 to
June 1698 from
14 August 1698 to
late 1698 from
28 February 1699 to
8 September 1699 from
16 October 1699 to
1701 from
early 1705 from
12 March 1705 to
10 July 1708 from
Mary, Queen of Great Britain
23 September 1692 to
Jan Meerman
a few years before 1713 to
28 February 1713 to
14 March 1713 to
Isaac Newton
9 November 1714 to
Henry Oldenburg
28 April 1673 to
15 August 1673 to
8 November 1673 to
7 April 1674 to
16 April 1674 to
4 May 1674 from
1 June 1674 to
6 July 1674 to
30 August 1674 from
7 September 1674 to
7 September 1674 to
19 October 1674 to
5 November 1674 from
4 December 1674 to
3 January 1675 from
22 January 1675 to
11 February 1675 to
1 March 1675 from
26 March 1675 to
22 April 1675 from
14 August 1675 to
22 August 1675 from
20 December 1675 to
7 January 1676 from
22 January 1676 to
13 February 1676 from
20 February 1676 from
22 February 1676 to
21 April 1676 to
14 May 1676 from
29 May 1676 to
28 July 1676 to
9 October 1676 to
18 October 1676 from
26 October 1676 from
30 October 1676 to
12 November 1676 from
27 November 1676 to
22 February 1677 from
4 March 1677 from
23 March 1677 to
20 April 1677 from
14 May 1677 to
7 August 1677 from
5 October 1677 to
Daniël Papenbroek
10 September 1686 to
James Petiver
13 August 1711 from
18 August 1711 to
Johann Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg
18 September 1695 to
3 November 1695 to
Hubert Kornelis Poot
10 May 1716 to
Peter Rabus
18 August 1693 from
27 October 1693 to
30 November 1694 to
May 1695 from
21 May 1695 to
between June and 21 July 1695 from
21 July 1695 to
10 September 1695 to
16 May 1696 from
1 June 1696 to
23 July 1696 to
30 July 1696 from
Frederik Adriaan van Reede van Renswoude
22 April 1695 to van Reede van Renswoude
May 1695 from
18 May 1695 to
June 1695 from
10 July 1695 to
15 August 1695 to
20 August 1695 to
December 1695 to
20 February 1696 to
16 July 1696 to
23 August 1696 from
26 August 1696 to
2 June 1700 to
9 February 1701 to
26 August 1701 to
some years before 1716 to
10 September 1717 to
Royal Society from (probable writer)
24 February 1687 (Edmond Halley)
17 February 1696 (Hans Sloane)
10 November 1705 (Hans Sloane)
3 June 1707 (Hans Sloane or John Chamberlayne)
4 November 1707 (Hans Sloane or John Chamberlayne)
before August 1708 (Hans Sloane or John Chamberlayne)
8 March 1714 (Richard Waller)
Royal Society to
108 letters 13 May 1680 - 31 May 1723
Pieter vander Slaart
a few months before April 1697 from
Hans Sloane
18 December 1696 from
19 February 1697 to
25 September 1699 to
2 January 1700 to
8 June 1700 from
14 June 1700 to
9 July 1700 to
15 July 1700 from
27 July 1700 to
7 September 1700 to
26 October 1700 to
29 November 1700 from
25 December 1700 to
1701年01月28日 to
24 April 1701 from
20 May 1701 from
21 June 1701 to
27 September 1701 from
18 November 1701 from
6 December 1701 to
before April 1702 from
November 1703 from
3 November 1703 to
13 February 1704 from
between March and July 1704 from
November 1704 from
13 February 1705 from
4 May 1707 from
10 September 1709 to
12 October 1713 to
24 October 1713 from
John Somers
15 November 1701 from
6 December 1701 to
Cornelis Spiering
May 1716 from
22 May 1716 to
William Stanley
21 September 1691 from
Adriaan Swalmius
August 1717 from
19 August 1717 to
Melchisedec Thevenot
October 1683 to
October 1683 from
23 September 1688 to
Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus
October 1699 to
Petrus Valckenier
11 February 1704 to
Maarten Etienne van Velden
2 May 1695 from
23 May 1695 to
30 May 1695 from
12 July 1695 to
26 October 1696 to
4 February 1697 from
12 February 1697 to
Lambert van Velthuysen
12 April 1679 from
11 May 1679 to
June 1679 from
13 June 1679 to
17 June 1679 from
11 July 1679 to
18 October 1679 from
14 November 1679 to
Fortunato Vinaccesi
27 November 1698 from
Richard Waller
12 February 1692 from
22 April 1692 to
8 May 1693 from
1 July 1693 to
8 December 1693 to
19 January 1694 to
10 February 1694 from
12 February 1694 to
2 May 1694 from
26 May 1694 to
14 September 1694 to
3 March 1714 from
19 July 1714 from
27 July 1714 from
30 August 1714 from
Angelus van Wikhuysen
before September 1695 from
15 July 1707 from
1707 to
Joseph Williamson
14 February 1678 to
Nicolaas Witsen
1696 from
8 March 1696 to
6 July 1696 to
10 July 1696 to
Christopher Wren
22 January 1683 to
16 July 1683 to
Harmen van Zoelen
November 1696 to
1698 to
17 December 1698 to
1699 to
26 April 1699 to
miscellaneous / unnamed
- 1683 to unknown
- August or September 1683 from two noblemen
- 15 March 1686 from a Prussian doctor
- before July 1695 from a doctor from Zeeland
- before November 1695 from His Excellency Mr.
- 30 October 1696 to N.N. (a gentleman from Brabant)
- November 1696 from a gentleman from Brabant
- 1 February 1699 to N.N. (Right Honourable Sir)
- 5 August 1699 to N.N. (directors of the United East India Company in Delft)
- 16 June 1700 to N.N. "Highly Learned Sir"
- August 1700 to N.N. "Your Most Serene Highness"
- 8 April 1701 to N.N. (Mayors and governors of the City of Delft)
- 6 March 1717 to N.N. (Members of the Royal Society)
- 6 March 1717 to N.N. (Members of the Royal Society)