Customer Reviews

A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery

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This is a superb book for anyone interested in alchemy. For those interested in alchemy and its connections to literature-- it's even better. The articles are bursting with relevant information and insight into this often perplexing subject matter in an accessible, readable style. A "must have" for anyone interested in alchemy. The only thing I don't like is the price, which may prove prohibitive for some.

this book is fun, well written, and detailed. most useful for literary and artistic readings of alchemy, or "comparative religion" type studies, less so for detailed info on the protoscientific aspects (try Lawrence Principe). I'm using this book for a class on alchemy I'm teaching this semester. It's a good way to approach the rich terminology and symbolism, though it can get a bit repetetive as the same idea gets explained in different ways in different articles. Could have better footnotes and cross-referencing, but very useful for the casual reader or beginning student who is just becoming familiar with a confusing and difficult set of terms and images.

Each entry has been made sufficiently complete and independent of the others, with detailed cross referencing. Entires on key concepts - the prima materia, the chemical wedding, the philosophers stone, Mercurius, and the stages known as the nigredo, albedo and rebedo - provide basic information about the main ideas of the alchemical opus for those unfamiliar with alchemical theory. Recommended as a general introduction to the subject.

See also: Arthur Dee: Fasciculus chemicus, translated by Elias Ashmole (English Renaissance Hermeticism, Vol 6)

Given this as a gift a few years back, I had primarily asked for it with the intention of using it as an art sourcebook. For that purpose alone, a guide to decoding alchemical iconography, it would have been a worthy purchase. From an intellectual standpoint, however, this volume proved to be infinitely fascinating and well researched. The text itself is clearly written but very dense. It is clear that the author knows what she is talking about and has taken major steps to make a very complex subject understandable to others.

An exciting, yet unexpected, byproduct of this book was that I began to recognize related iconography in places I previously hadn't been aware of it. Most notable of these "discoveries" was the recognization of alchemical imagery that infuses W.B. Yeat's poetry. This book was the means by which I discovered an entirely new (to me) dimension of Yeats' writing.

If you have even the slightest interest in historical alchemical imagery and iconography then I highly recommend this volume. Not only is it an essential academic reference, but it serves as an excellent springboard into further historical study and investigation.