Amazon.com Review
Encompassing two works in one book, this volume will interest occult historians and book collectors alike. A window on 18th-century alchemical practice, Albertus's translation of Praxis Spagyrica Philosophica--the simple instruction for producing the "philosopher's stone"--mirrors the original text and art (of which a facsimile is included), making this a worthy primary resource. Albertus's copious annotations to the text are of inestimable value when unraveling the more arcane references. From "One" to "Ten" is Albertus's own treatise on the fundamental manifestation of numbers. This work requires a great deal of concentration to follow, but it will reward readers with a nonmathematical theory transcending religious and magical systems, reaching straight into the heart of numbers themselves. --Brian Patterson
Review
Attention collectors of alchemical lore; this one's for you. Publisher Samuel Weiser is to be commended for reprinting these two long-out-of-print alchemical treatises in a single, handsome, cloth edition-on archival paper and with eleven color plates, no less! Even the dust jacket is well done; rich, dignified and entirely suitable for the subject matter. The first treatise, the Praxis, is a 1711 text, translated from the German and heavily annotated by one of the leading teachers of spiritual alchemy of the 20th century, Frater Albertus. Albertus (Dr. Albert Richard Riedel), was the founder of the Paracelsus Research Society, an educational institution devoted to the study of alchemy, both spiritual and physical. This new edition features facsimiles of the German text with Albertus' translation and notes on facing pages. Of special interest to the student of alchemy, the text and notes offers clarification on some of the more confusing aspects of alchemical symbolism. The second treatise, From One to Ten, is an original paper by Frater Albertus which discusses the esoteric symbolism of numbers and colors and their relation to the natural laws of manifestation, especially as expressed in Qabalah. The geometric figures in the color plates illustrate Albertus' comments. Together, the Praxis and From One to Ten make an excellent addition to Weiser's current series of cloth reprints of influential texts in the Western Esoteric Tradition. -- From Independent Publisher
