Alchemy and Alchemists by Sean Martin
Alchemy has traditionally been viewed as 'the history of an error', an example of medieval gullibility and greed, in which alchemists tried to turn lead into gold, create fabulous wealth and find the elixir of life. But alchemy has also been described as 'the mightiest secret that a man can possess', and it obsessed the likes of Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle and many of the founders of modern science. This book explores the history of the so-called Royal Art, from its mysterious beginnings in Egypt and China, through the Hellenistic world and the early years of Islam and into mediaeval Europe. Some of the greatest minds of the Middle Ages, figures such as Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon and Thomas Aquinas were drawn to alchemy, and legendary alchemists such as Nicholas Flamel were thought to have actually succeeded in finding The Philosopher's Stone. During the Renaissance, Paracelsus and his followers helped revolutionise medicine, and during the seventeenth century, alchemy played a major role in paving the way for modern science. During the twentieth century, it became a focus of interest for the psychologist Carl Jung and his followers, who believed that the alchemists had discovered the unconscious. In this fully revised edition, Sean Martin has expanded the sections on Chinese and Indian alchemy and has added new material on the relationship between alchemy and early modern science, while also making a fresh assessment of this most enduringly mysterious and fascinating of subjects, to which all others have been described as 'child's play'.
Alchemists - they were just idiots, weren't they? Crazy hermetic wizard types blinded by greedWell, not according to this brief history -- Steven Poole * Guardian Unlimited *
Packed with facts as well as opinions, the book has all the key information you need to know about alchemy and alchemists * Alchemy Journal *
Packed with facts as well as opinions, the book has all the key information you need to know about alchemy and alchemists * Alchemy Journal *
Seán Martin is a writer, poet and filmmaker. He is the author of The Knights Templar, The Cathars, The Gnostics, The Black Death, Alchemy and Alchemists, A Short History ofDisease and, for Kamera Books, Andrei Tarkovsky and New Waves in Cinema. His films include Lanterna Magicka: Bill Douglas & the Secret History of Cinema (released by the BFI), Folie à Deux and a series of documentaries on the filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky: Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev: A Journey (released by Criterion), The Dream in the Mirror (released by Criterion), The Last Dream: Andrei Tarkovsky and The Sacrifice and A Dream of Italy: Tarkovsky and Nostalghia. Martin won the Wigtown Poetry Prize in 2011, and his collection of poems, The Girl Who Got onto the Ferry in Citizen Kane, is published by Templar Poetry.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781904048626 |
| ISBN 10 | 1904048625 |
| Title | Alchemy and Alchemists |
| Author | Sean Martin |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Oldcastle Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2006-11-23 |
| Number of pages | 160 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |