ALCHEMY & ALCHEMISTS

From the editor: Alchemy, whose beginnings-possibly in Egypt, Babylon, India, or China-are ancient and obscure, remained undocumented until about 2500 B.c. Although it may have originated with metallurgy, the prac­tice rapidly developed an association with magic, pharmacy, and astrology. In this richly illustrated and amply researched study, a noted expert traces the long history of alchemy, from its murky start to modern times.

Hermes Trismegistus and the other famous alchemists appear here, along with discussions of the craft's associations with chicanery and its role in the secret society of Rosicrucians. Additional topics include the alchemist's laboratory and equipment, alchemical sym­bols and secret alphabets, noteworthy manuscripts, the influence of astrology, and more.

Although regarded today as a pseudoscience, alchemy gave rise to scientific chemistry. This volume illustrates the ways in which efforts to transmute metals-such as the search for the ever-elusive philoso­pher's stone-stimulated experimentation with hitherto untried substances, leading to improved knowledge of the materials vital to applied chemistry. Anyone intrigued by the origins and practices of this age-old and still-mysterious discipline, as well as those interested in the history of chemistry, will appreciate this concise, authoritative study.

Pages: 249, (2002) unabridged, originally published by George G. Harrap & Company Ltd., London, 1932. Index. 77 halftone and line illustrations, 31 plates.
Special Interest: Alchemy, Occult, Magick, Advanced Studies & Application.

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