The Chemical Choir - by P G Maxwell-Stuart (Paperback)

About the Book

The history of alchemy traced from its earliest roots through to its influence in modern-day science.

Book Synopsis

Beginning in China in the search for the secret of immortality, and appearing independently in Egypt as an attempt to produce gold through the arts of smelting and alloying metals, alchemy received a great boost in Europe from studies by Islamic and Jewish alchemists. Translated into Latin and then combined with what was known of Greek natural science these accounts provoked an outburst of attempts to manipulate matter and to change it into transformative substances known as the Philosopher's Stone or the Elixir of Life. Alchemy's heyday in Europe was the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Demonstrations of the art were performed in royal courts and specimens of the gold so transmuted can be seen in various museums today. During the nineteenth century, attempts were made to amalgamate alchemy with the religious and occult philosophies then growing in popularity; and in the twentieth century psychologists principally Carl Jung perceived in alchemy a powerful vehicle for aspects of their theories about human nature.

Review Quotes

"The Chemical Choir provides an updated introduction to the history of alchemy to put beside more specialized works on this subject. Its expansive range from fourth-century BCE China to twentieth-century Europe and America will appeal to a broad audience, who will learn much from Maxwell-Stuart's treatment of alchemy in all its diverse dimensions, including interconnections with esoteric and bodily religious practices, with medicine, industrial chemistry, magic, religious redemption, and matter theory" --Pamela H. Smith, Columbia University, US

About the Author

Dr PG Maxwell-Stuart is an Honorary Lecturer in the School of History at the University of St Andrews. His many publications include Witchcraft - A History (Tempus 2000)and The Occult in Medieval Europe (Palgrave 2005).