Alchemy: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science by Philip Ball
“Ball’s eclectic knowledge of chemistry, his insatiable curiosity and his willingness to collections that covered anything from venture off well-beaten paths make him an excellent guide. This captivating guide is sumptuously decorated on nearly every page… A beautiful way to remind yourself of how science got to where it is now.”
Kit Chapman, Nature
“Philip Ball’s book is a treasure: beautifully illustrated and, as usual, the author caries his learning lightly.”
David Wootton, Spectator
“A fabulous resource for anyone interested in esoteric knowledge or how it relates to more conventionally accepted bodies of thought.”
Mathew Lyons, Broken Compass
“Alchemists have been often written about as failed scientists, crippled by their spiritual beliefs, or as mystical philosophers whose hours at the athanor are beneath notice. Ball. . . rescues their scientific reputation while recognising the importance of the mystical philosophy that informed their work.”
Nick Richardson, London Review Books
“Philip Ball illuminates the history of alchemy without excluding readers at any level. Alchemy: An Illustrated History is a great accomplishment.”
Lawrence M. Principe, author of The Secrets of Alchemy
“In this absorbing exploration of alchemy and alchemists, which ranges from the ancient world to the modern and from East to West, Philip Ball takes a refreshing approach to alchemy as a science and as a philosophy. It is a delight to read, with its many illustrations, concise biographies, and engaging prose.”
Owen Davies, author of Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells
“Philip Ball’s Alchemy is an erudite and sumptuous work that aims to place alchemy as one of the great intellectual adventures in the history of ideas. Rather than treating it as a pre-scientific embarrassment, Ball approaches alchemy as a sophisticated way of thinking about transformation – of matter, of knowledge, and of the self – and shows how inseparable it was from the emergence of modern chemistry.”
Emil Toescu and Adam Tuboly, History of European Ideas