Alchemy, The Ancient Science

Alchemy, The Ancient Science

Alchemy, the Ancient Science focuses on the colorful, genuine thinkers and contributors to alchemy—both ancient and modern. Published in 1976, this work introduces alchemy to novice readers through succinct chapters, though unfortunately neglects establishing and outlining the subject’s foundational concepts, terminologies, and symbolism sufficiently. What saves this book, however, are the large number of alchemical prints and images that saturate the pages, gathered from a wide range of alchemical texts and artwork. Beautifully reproduced in this volume, novice and masters of alchemy alike will appreciate the images rich in metaphor and imagination. Others may also find the rare chapter dedicated to Eastern alchemy to be a rich resource for dabblers of Tantra and Taoism, which the book identifies as branches of sexual alchemy.