Alchemy and Alchemists
Sean Martin Pocket Essentials, 160pp, £9.99
ISBN 1904048625
"It is estimated that 100,000 books have been written on alchemy," writes Sean Martin in Alchemy
and Alchemists. So why write the 100,001st book on the subject? My cynical side can't help but wonder if Martin is capitalising on the recent success of The Da Vinci Code. My kinder side notes that he has written several books on related subjects.
Alchemists through history were persecuted, so their work and identities were kept secret. This leads to a plethora of suppositions, but few facts. The only reason I can see for a new book on alchemy is if it can unearth these facts.
In the first half of this book, which covers the 1500s, Martin fails. A typical sentence reads: "Norton is known to have accused the Mayor of Bristol of treason . . . Whether this is the alchemist Thomas Norton is unclear."
In the second half of the book, covering the 1600s to the present, facts make their appearance. There is an interesting analysis of the rise of science proper, which had some roots in alchemy – indeed, Isaac Newton, a presumed alchemist, may have seen no difference between the two. Carl Jung followed in this tradition, viewing alchemy as a psychological process.
Unfortunately, if a substantive, critical inquiry is what you want, you're going to have to wait for book number 100,002.
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