Martin Frobenius Ledermüller, a German physician and keeper of the Margrave of Brandenburg's natural history collection, published Microscopic Delights of the Mind and Eyes in three volumes between 1759 and 1763. The books pair more than 150 hand-coloured plates with his own breathless descriptions of insects, plankton, crystals and human organs seen through the lens. He once mistook snail eggs in beach sand for globules that fizzed on water like fireworks, and he dismissed the idea of spontaneous generation based on what he saw. Microscopes of the era were shown at salon demonstrations, turning private observation into a social event. The result is a vivid record of how science and wonder were once the same pleasure.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.