The Book Of Alchemy: The Pursuit Of Wisdom And The Search For The Philosopher's Stone

by Francis Melville

This beautifully illustrated book on alchemy is written by Francis Melville, who operates a charitable foundation dedicated to research in alchemical medicine. He lives in Devon, England. The subject matter in this book is divided into chapters on the history of alchemy, alchemy restored, the Great Work, and spagyrics, with a glossary and an index. It includes subchapters on Hermes Trismegistus, the Pursuit of Gold, The Ouroboros, Paracelsus, the Rosicrucians, the Elixir of Life, the Fulcanelli Phenomenon, the Ladder of the Wise, the Seven Planetary Elixirs, etc. A great addition to anyone's alchemical bookshelf.

Genres: Alchemy, Occult, Nonfiction, Science, Spirituality, Reference, Religion

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sheila Coldiron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book when I attended an Alchemy workshop given my Dennis Hauck. I knew nothing about alchemy and this book is an excellent introduction. I have now read Dennis Hauck's book "An Idiots Guide to Alchemy."

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The "early 2000's" vibe is strong with this one

[Chris Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book starts with a decent introduction to alchemy from a historic perspective. I bought the book because of the nice illustrations and photos of common chemical apparatus. Once you get past the history, the book descends into hippy land where one needs to be an uneducated Middle Ages inhabitant who believes in astrology and other such nonsense.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much that I kept renewing it from the library for six months. The illustrations by Adam McLean were great to examine and reflect on. This was a great little book that contains a lot of information for those beginning to study alchemy.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful words and images of Alchemy

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the world of alchemy and the key themes and signs therein. It's definitely intrigued me and whet my appetite to read more on the subject and it's mysteries.

[David Eales · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best introductions to the many facets of alchemy, covering the history, symbolism, philosophy and practice of alchemy, both as a spiritual and practical laboratory art. There is information here that you would have to read a whole library of books to glean. Beautifully printed and illustrated, this book was described by the legendary alchemist Manfred Junius as "an absolute treasure".

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated this overview of alchemy; it covers some history, numerology, astrology, stages of the work, and spagyrics (the process of making alchemical tinctures). The mix of text and image was quite helpful, given that so much of alchemy is conveyed through image.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic entry book

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st Read: October 22, 2002 - November 20, 2002 (**** Rating)

I will read this again! At first, it was a brief read where I focused more on the description of the photos in the book. Upon completing that, I totally ate this book up in small doses between working two full time jobs.

2nd Read: February 7, 2018 - February 11, 2018 (*** Rating)

Very interesting material and is a good introduction to Alchemy. In some instances it reminds me a lot of and about Wicca; without the spells and incantations.

[Victoria Pike · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far this is a good primer for alchemy. The graphics are lovely and it is informative without going into great depth on the topic.

With that said, as a dyslexic I do need to state that it is not an easy read for me. This is due to the texture they put under the words on the page. It makes the script jumble and hard to read for me.

[Woody Hayday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of stories, with some facts. Useful as a basic primer on Alchemy, though an amount of speculative writing seems to have made it in. Some great illustrations make up for some of the less relevant sections.

Woody Hayday

[Anabela Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[J.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes the story/history was a little dry, but the information I needed shot out of the pages.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably very good if you bother to finish! :D

[Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contemporary, concise, and helpful overview of alchemy.

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up a copy of this book second hand because it had cool pictures. Presumed it was going to be more historical and less instructional. Cool pictures though.