Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding with 80 illustrations, Alchemy Illustrated will fascinate anyone interested in the quest for knowledge and wealth before the birth of modern chemistry.
Long shrouded in secrecy, alchemy is now recognized as the ancestor of modern chemistry.
Before the advent of modern science, alchemy was the ancient art of transformation, a way of combining matter to create a divine force. Today alchemy retains a strong pull on the imagination, with its tales of turning base metals into gold and mixing potions to create the elixir of life, a draught that brings immortality.
Alchemy Illustrated offers a vivid illustrated guide to this lost art, introducing the reader to the main developments in alchemy and the most famous people to have dabbled in this speculative science.
Discover the alchemical elements and their properties, a precursor to the periodic table, which included such substances such as bismuth, sulfur and moon-silver, the last of these symbolizing intuition, resurrection and illumination; learn about the Philosophers Stone, a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals into gold, and pursued by famous scientists such as Isaac Newton, who wrote more than a million words on alchemy during his lifetime; and encounter Hennig Brand, who in 1669 accidentally discovered the chemical element phosphorus during alchemical experimentation.
Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, Alchemy Illustrated introduces the reader to the history of alchemy, its practice, symbols and famous alchemists through the ages.
- A beautifully packaged gift using classic Chinese binding
- Ideal for anyone interested in the history, practice and significance of alchemy
- Provides an introductory guide for the non-expert
Papildus informācija
Beautiful hand-bound volume celebrating the ancient art of alchemy.
Contents to include: 1: Introduction The art of alchemy was handed down
through the centuries from Egypt and Arabia to Greece and Rome, and finally
to western and central Europe. The word is derived from the Arabian phrase
al-kimia, which refers to the preparation of the Stone or Elixir by the
Egyptians. Simplified, the aims of the alchemists were threefold: to find the
Stone of Knowledge (The Philosophers Stone), to discover the medium of
Eternal Youth and Health, and to discover the transmutation of metals. To the
medieval alchemists mind the different elements were but the same original
substance in varying degrees of purity. Gold was the purest of all and silver
followed closely. 2: Alchemical Elements In the early days of alchemy, the
astronomical signs of the planets were also used as alchemical symbols. Then
in the centuries of medieval persecution and suppression every alchemist
invented his own secret symbols. Charlatans, quacks and cheats took over and
alchemy became, along with sorcery and witchcraft, infamous for fraud and
extortion. In the 18th century scientists tried to pry loose the real
achievements in chemistry, pharmacology and medicine from this confusing
cornucopia of science and magic. The elements include: Antimony; Arsenic;
Bismuth; Copper; Gold; Iron; Mercury; Phosphorus; Platinum; Potassium;
Silver; Sulfur; Lead; Tin; Magnesium; Zinc; Moon Silver. 3: The Philosophers
Stone and the Elexir of Life In Alchemy the substances used are broken down
into a state of chaos, from which a miraculous physical substance emerges
that can produce magical results. Alchemists were notorious for attempting to
make synthetic gold, but their goals were far more ambitious: to transform
and bend nature to the will of an industrious human imagination. For
scientists, philosophers and artists alike, alchemy seemed to hold the key to
unlocking the secrets of creation. Alchemists efforts to discover the way
the world is made have had an enduring impact on artistic practice and
expression around the globe. The Philosophers Stone was capable of turning
any base metal into a so called noble metal, such as gold. In Western
alchemy, it is an unknown substance, also called the tincture or the
powder, sought by alchemists for its supposed ability to transform base
metals into precious ones, especially gold and silver. Alchemists also
believed that an elixir of life could be derived from it. The Elixir of Life
(elixir vitae) is a potion that grants the drinker an indefinitely extended
life, for as long as they keep drinking it regularly, though, the frequency
with which it needs to be consumed (along with its entire creation process)
is unknown. The ancient Chinese believed that ingesting long-lasting mineral
substances such as jade, cinnabar and hematite would confer some of that
longevity on the person who consumed them. Amrita, the elixir of life, has
been described in Hindu scriptures. 4: Great Alchemists Inventions born from
alchemical laboratories include metal alloys for sculpture and ornament, oil
paints, effects in glassmaking, and even the chemical baths of photography.
Jabir ibn Hayyan Known in Europe as Geber, this Islamic scholar of the
Middle Ages is considered the father of alchemy and one of the founders or
pioneers of pharmacology and modern chemistry. Jabir ibn Hayyan was one of
the first to connect the four elements to alchemy, but the classical elements
were well-studied in ancient Greece before that. Paracelsus The three
primes, also known as the tria prima, were named by Paracelsus, a Swiss
philosopher, in the 16th century. Trithemius (14621516) on his deathbed
dictated a recipe that which he said would preserve mind, health, and memory
with perfect sight and hearing, for those who made use of it. It consisted
of, among other things, calomel, gentian, cinnamon, aniseed, nard, coral,
tartar, and mace. Nicolas Flamel was a French scribe and manuscript seller.
After his death, Flamel developed a reputation as an alchemist believed to
have created and discovered the philosophers stone and to have thereby
achieved immortality. Isaac Newton Newton believed that the so-called
vegetation of metals was evidence of mysterious forces in nature. Newton
interpreted Greek myths as alchemical recipes. Hennig Brand In 1669, Brand
accidentally discovered the chemical element phosphorus while searching for
the philosopher's stone. Ge Hong A Chinese alchemist who tried to combine
traditional Confucian ethics with the occult doctrines of Daoism. Franz
Seraph Tausend, Der Goldmacher, was a 20th-century German alchemist, who
was able to raise significant funding from senior Nazi Party figures for his
project.
Michael Kerrigan was educated at St. Edwards College and University College, Oxford, England. He is the author of History of the World, English Myths, Dark History of the Catholic Church and Amazing Churches of the World. He is a columnist, book reviewer, and feature writer for publications including the Scotsman and the Times Literary Supplement. Michael Kerrigan lives with his family in Edinburgh.
