39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Concise Introduction, April 9, 2008
This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy (Mass Market Paperback)
There are countless books on alchemy out there. What is obvious about alchemy is that it is a wide field, filled with ambiguities. This is not the sort of subject your average person thinks that they can understand. Too many books are written using language in unexpected ways. Where can a novice turn in order to begin exploring such a difficult yet rewarding study? This book is an excellent place to start. I love the Idiot's Guides in general, and this one is great. Although it is a primer, it still has much to offer those who already have some preliminary knowledge. And unlike many other primers, the author does not merely focus on one type of alchemy. He discusses spiritual, mental, and physical forms of alchemy both in a historical and modern living setting- both theoretical and practical. There are a few books and website that I can recommend- but if I was asked which one book to start with, I would say this one.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Resource!, September 13, 2008
This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy (Mass Market Paperback)
I am no alchemist and I don't pretend to be one. However I have been intensely interested in this facet of history that tends to be omitted from most history books. I have spent many hours scouring bookstores for texts explaining in a concise and clear manner about what alchemy is and its history, and have rarely ever been able to find more than radical new age hooey and self-improvement books. While this book does have a certain metaphysical smell about it later on, the first half of the text provides a great summation of the obscure history of Alchemy, and even goes so far as to describe certain symbols and imagery that can be used to decipher more ancient alchemical texts. As an aspiring student of archaeology, this is highly useful to me. I could use a bit more in the way of deciphering the highly opaque alchemical texts and images that one can find in books like "Alchemy and Mysticism" by Roob, and I hope to see more books do just that. Surprisingly after I read this, I see alchemical symbols everywhere!
You can find them on architecture, on tarot cards, in old astronomical illustrations, and most every other place you can look. Alchemy seems to be a hidden river of knowledge that ran through the culture and history of the past, providing a forgotten perspective of old events and important figures. Isaac Newton was an alchemist, even canonized Saints of the Church were Alchemists, such as Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas. There is a wealth of information in this book that is easily accessible by almost anyone. (Hence, for Complete Idiot's, like me. =] )
I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Alchemy.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book for Beginning Alchemists, July 12, 2008
This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy (Mass Market Paperback)
I was looking for a basic beginner's book about Alchemy and I am glad I found this one. It was concise and easy to understand. Alchemical ideals can be difficult and confusing but the author explains things in such a way that even the novice can grasp the process. The author also has a neat way of reiterating things ie,"remember that....." or "don't forget that we learned...." so that you DON'T forget. The order of the book is logical and builds up step by step. Like all the Idiots Guides the writing is in small bytes so you do not lose interest. Hauck takes you through both laboratory(you can use your kitchen) and personal alchemy and shows you how you can begin to do both. A chart for alchemical ciphers is included and some good online sites for other useful tables. The resources are excellent for those who wish to go further and learn more. For a beginning book and a good overview this book is a GREAT starting point and excellent reference to keep for later, too.
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