Synthesis

Lawrence Principe

Alchemy emerges here not as mere superstition, but as a complex tradition that shaped science, philosophy, religion, art, and literature across centuries. Tracing its development from antiquity through early modern Europe and into the modern era, the book introduces the thinkers, texts, experiments, and cultural worlds that gave alchemy its enduring power. It also brings readers into the laboratory, reconstructing historical processes such as the making of the “glass of antimony” and the Philosophers’ Tree to reveal how alchemists actually worked. Combining meticulous scholarship with vivid historical storytelling and hands-on experimentation, this accessible study offers a fresh perspective on one of history’s most fascinating intellectual pursuits.