Customer Reviews

Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Who ever thought a book about porcelain could be so engrossing? Ms. Gleeson has written an exciting (yes....exciting!), fascinating tale. It is a combination of science and adventure with some industrial espionage thrown in. The biographical aspects are excellent also. You get a real feel for the personalities who are portrayed in this book: the profligate king (Augustus) who is desperate for a way to finance his out-of-control spending, so he pins his hopes on alchemy!; the teenage alchemist (Johannn Bottger) who draws attention to himself with a magic trick that fools people into thinking he has found a way to create gold, and thereby gets himself locked away by Augustus until he can duplicate the feat! But Bottger was no charlatan. He really thought he could do it.... The tension builds as Augustus invests lots of money in Bottger's enterprise but starts to get impatient when he doesn't see any results.... Poor Bottger even manages to escape for a short while because he is afraid of being executed for his failure. Eventually, he saves himself by coming up with a commercially viable formula for porcelain.... but it wasn't easy! This is a relatively brief book but it is filled with many interesting characters besides the two mentioned above and the action moves around to various cities as people who have worked with Bottger try to smuggle out the secret formula and shop it around to other kings and princes...... A very enjoyable (and educational!) book.

This is one of those 'can't-put-downable' real-life true stories where the truth is stranger than fiction, and in Janet Gleeson's capable hands (or under her capable pen) the story, in all its astounding details unfolds beautifully.

Gleeson does rate as one of my favourite authors and she does have the knack of picking out incredibly interesting stories that are peopled with the most astonishing cast of characters. In this case it is the search for the 'recipe' for porcelain, the Arcanum as it was called. It was one of the great mysteries for eighteenth century Europe - the discovery of how it was made was on a par with discovering the philosoper's stone - or the recipe to turn base metals into gold. And in fact the book starts off with a charlatan alchemist (Johann Frederick Böttger) who claims he has discovered this recipe or arcanum.

Unfortunately Bottger becomes a prisoner of his wealthy patron who realises that he is worth more as a captive working for him, than as a free-agent roaming around. Forced to experiment Bottger inardvertently stumbles across the arcanum for Pocelain. Gleeson then shows the lives of other men such as Johan Gregor Herold, an ambitious artist, developed colors and patterns of unparalleled brilliance at the newly established Meissen Porcelain Manufacture; and Johann Joachim Kaendler, a virtuoso sculptor who used the Meissen porcelain to invent a new art form.

The story is one of greed, incredible artistry and innovation and all set against the political ambitions of a warlike and ever-changing European landscape. Gleeson's true skill is in the way she draws out the detail to people the landscape with lifelike and reaslistic detail without cluttering us with dull information or specious descriptions. She is immensely readable, bringing the story and the people alive.

I picked this up at a bookstall at Heathrow last week, started it and literally couldn't put it down until the end. Wow! I don't think I've given the history of porcelain five seconds' thought in my life, but while I was reading The Arcanum nothing could have struck me as more fascinating. Janet Gleeson is a born storyteller - and who'd 'a thunk *that* with a background in writing collectors' guides for porcelain and posters? Hello Hollywood - here's a movie waiting to be made! Sex, danger, intrigue, discovery, war, politics, envy, gluttony - hey, all seven deadly sins and then some. As God is my witness, I'll never ignore porcelain again!

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up a copy of The Arcanum in a bookstore at the airport. I needed something to read on a four hour flight, and Janet Gleeson's book definitely fit the bill: it kept my attention for the whole four hours. The capsule on the back cover was what really caught my attention. It promised eccentric kings, dungeons and avarice of all kinds. The book did not disappoint! It's as much an entertaining look at how small things make a big difference in history as it is a factual and well-presented history of the introduction of porcelain manufacture in Europe.

Gleeson did her homework, and that enabled her to bring to life a cast of character that might have come out of the most imaginative of novels. Almost before our eyes we can see the Augustus' obsession with porcelain, and finding a way to manufacture it, drive events in European history. We see a young and desperate alchemist/charlatan who couldn't have gotten himself in more trouble if he tried. Gleeson weaves these, and other, figures and their strange tale into a history that reads almost like a novel.

If you enjoy Barbara Tuchman's books, I suspect that you'll like Janet Gleeson's, as well. Aside from the fascinating story, Gleeson provides a technical discussion of the substance of porcelain ware and its manufacture that should appeal to novice and expert alike. I enjoyed this book immensely; it gave the reader the whole package. I recommend it without reservation and I'll definitely be looking to read more books by this author.

The Arcanum lives up to every effusive word of praise that reviewers have lavished on it. Filled with quirky characters, drama, tension, and no small amount of glorious history, it reads as well if not better than Longitude, from a similar niche history category. Advised for women, men, old and young, learn something and be entertained at once. Give yourselves a treat with this one.

Janet Gleeson is not a storyteller. This becomes apparent as she pops between explaining the arcanum, porcelain making, political strife and the lives of the people involved. The subjects are so compelling, however, that you will not mind too much. It is apparent, too, that she has a passion for the subject of porcelain making, and she does manage to infuse the reader with her interest.

There were many advances during the rennaisance era in Europe that are far reaching. You would think that something so ephemeral as a luxury item wouldn't have much impact, but history demonstrates otherwise. Deception, espionage, war, and even treason were common occurences in 17th and 18th century Europe. All that in pursuit of the secrets for making porcelain is conceptually challenging to say the least.

When one alchemist searching for the legendary philospher's stone performs one illusion too many, he finds himself a "guest" of Augustus the Strong until he provides him with the gold he needs to pay for his extravagantly decadent life style. Fortunately, for the alchemist, he's bright and talented, and just may provide the king with another type of gold to keep the executioner at bay.

The Arcanum, is well written and researched with an extensive bibliography. I was very impressed with the level of scholarship exhibited by Ms. Gleeson. Considering the subject matter, and my preconceptions, I was suitably suprised and impressed at what I learned.

If you enjoy splendidly written historical stories, this is a must read. I must admit that the story started to lose its lustre around the time that Meissen loses its lustre; but, in its entirety, the book is a must read. If you've read The Professor and the Madman, this story is equally enthralling.

Today, porcelain, china, and dinnerwares are common items in a household. This was not always true. Once, hard paste porcelain, the world's best, was literally as valuable as gold. But only the Chinese knew the formula, and they kept their secret from Europeans for nearly 1000 years. So it is fitting that the person responsible for discovering the Chinese's secret was an alchemist, whose true quest was to find the secret for making gold from other less expensive metals.

This swashbuckling tale of adventure, double-dealing, and final victory, is a basic manual for porcelain collectors and dealers, and it is a must for antiques enthusiasts, no matter where their interests lie. Porcelain and its history touch every collecting area to some degree. The knowlege contained in this short history is a must for anyone who aspires to a full education in the decorative arts.

Feuding royals! Splendid palaces! Demands for gold! Artistic genius! Secret chemical experiments! No, it's not science fiction and it's not a tale by Hans Christian Andersen or the Brothers Grimm. It's the true story of how porcelain came to the western world and changed it: artistically, economically, politically.

You don't need to be remotely interested in porcelain or European history to be drawn in by this superb account of porcelain's western origins. As European nobility competed in ever more rarefied circles for prestige and power, the quest for making porcelain like that perfected by the Chinese became the preferred avenue for cementing one's social position. Gleeson tells the tale of Johann Bottger, an unfortunate young man who bragged once too often of his supposed alchemical powers. His boasts caught the ear of German Prince Augustus, who had Bottger kidnapped, set him up with a lab while keeping him incarcerated, and demanded that Bottger figure out how to produce porcelain. After many, many years and many, many false starts, Bottger did just that and the course of European history was unalterably changed. This is an absolutely fascinating story, told at a breakneck pace and with wonderful detail.