The memoir recounts the author's life from childhood in a provincial town through family surroundings, schooling, and youthful pastimes, to the formation of his scientific interests and research career. It blends domestic and local scenes with accounts of education, early laboratory experiences, collaborations, travels, and the daily routines of investigation. Interwoven reflections consider methods, the pleasures and difficulties of scientific work, relations with colleagues and pupils, and personal memories that illuminate the character and motivations behind a long professional life.