
Part 1
Part 2
From a tender age he is drawn to the hidden world of the infinitesimal, tinkering with makeshift lenses and stealing glass to glimpse what lies beyond ordinary sight. When a modest field microscope finally arrives, it opens a dazzling panorama of microscopic forests, glittering fruits, and bustling life that transforms his everyday reality into a realm of wonder. The experience ignites a poetic devotion to the unseen, and he resolves to devote his life to exploring ever finer details.
Obsessed with surpassing the limitations of his new instrument, he embarks on a relentless quest to craft a lens of unprecedented power—a crystal so perfect it might reveal the very fabric of nature. His experiments grow increasingly daring, pushing the boundaries of both science and imagination. The story follows his escalating obsession, inviting listeners into a world where curiosity teeters on the edge of the uncanny.
Language
en
Duration
~55 minutes (53K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2015-10-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1828–1862
An Irish-born writer who helped shape early fantasy and science fiction, he packed wonder, satire, and eerie invention into a life cut short by the Civil War. His best-known tales still feel fresh for their mix of imagination, sharp observation, and unsettling surprise.
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