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A review by ekfmef
The Secrets of Alchemy by Lawrence M. Principe
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Somehow the author managed to create a Very boring book about a super interesting subject. The book would have been way more exciting if it shed some light on the world the early alchemists lived in. Where did they get their supplies? What other cool things did they invent? And then not just describing 'coincidentally they also found x' but going into more detail.
Main takeaways:
- the whole Alchemy as a spiritual dimension is a 19th century invention, but Alchemy and religion were closely intertwined as science and religion were too.
- the expression 'hermetically closed' refers to the last step of alchemy where the material is enclosed in a glass flask
- the alchemists did really cool actual chemical things but it's not easy to dechiper. That last part would have been lovely to read more about!
Main takeaways:
- the whole Alchemy as a spiritual dimension is a 19th century invention, but Alchemy and religion were closely intertwined as science and religion were too.
- the expression 'hermetically closed' refers to the last step of alchemy where the material is enclosed in a glass flask
- the alchemists did really cool actual chemical things but it's not easy to dechiper. That last part would have been lovely to read more about!