The Alchemist: The Secret Magical Life of Rudolf von Habsburg

by Hans Holzer

The Secret Magical Life of Rudolf Von Habsburg

Genres: History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Hans Holzer, whose investigations into the paranormal took him to haunted houses and other sites all over the world, wrote more than 140 books on ghosts, the afterlife, witchcraft, extraterrestrial beings, and other phenomena associated with the realm he called “the other side.” Among his famous subjects was the Long Island house that inspired The Amityville Horror book and film adaptations. Holzer studied at the University of Vienna, Austria, and at Columbia University, New York, earning a master’s degree in comparative religion. He taught parapsychology at the New York Institute of Technology. Holzer died in 2009.

Reviews

[Daniel Polansky]

So I got this from the library thinking it was a thoughtful biography of Rudolf II, the melancholic art collector and Hapsburg Emperor who did very little to stop the 30 year war from burning down his country, only to discover that it was, in fact, an enormously sloppy work of popular 'history' written by a writer whose dozens of other credits seem to involve investigating ghosts and pretending astrology is true. But since I was reading about Rudolf for this project I'm working on, itself a rather slapdash work of historical fiction which nakedly sacrifices accuracy for fun, I thought this might be worth my time. It wasn't, however. It was stupid. People who believe in astrology are stupid. Also, magic. Magic isn't real. Get over it, kiddos.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago and I've never forgotten it.For me,the real heart of the story is the friendship that grew between the Emperor and the priest who was assigned to be his personal confessor.It really is an amazing story,definitely worth reading.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh.