4.09

3

Jun 13, 2014

This is a magnificent compendium of alchemical symbols and the mystic thought behind them. Unfortunately, I was totally lost.

This is not a book for the beginner (which I am). Alexander Roob does not provide a sequential narrative. Those without knowledge of the development of mystical thought and alchemy would not be able to enjoy the wealth of information this book provides. They can only enjoy the beauty of the images, and get some sort of rudimentary understanding, which itself is rewarding This is a magnificent compendium of alchemical symbols and the mystic thought behind them. Unfortunately, I was totally lost.

This is not a book for the beginner (which I am). Alexander Roob does not provide a sequential narrative. Those without knowledge of the development of mystical thought and alchemy would not be able to enjoy the wealth of information this book provides. They can only enjoy the beauty of the images, and get some sort of rudimentary understanding, which itself is rewarding enough.

Alchemy is the ancestor of my profession - Chemical Engineering. It is interesting to note that mystical ideas about the interconnectedness of mythology, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology and art gave birth to such an unimaginative science. We chemical engineers share a common ancestor with phrenologists and palmists - not a very edifying thought!

If you are well read in mysticism and the history of alchemy, this is the book for you. Otherwise, I'd suggest some preliminary reading before approaching this. ...more

5

Nov 11, 2009

Stunning works of art of pure symbology, fills almost every page of this over 700 page book. Well written description for every image helped to unravel some of the complex symbolical meaning of the alchemical art. I’ve learned a great deal from this book and it also received answers to some of my questions.

4

Nov 08, 2017

3.5 - 5 for the art and 2 for the descriptions and the narrative

Ultimately this is a very well collated art album 3.5 ⭐️ - 5 for the art and 2 for the descriptions and the narrative

Ultimately this is a very well collated art album ...more

5

Aug 28, 2007

This is a must have for anyone interested in the alchemical arts or in occult philosophy. It is filled with illustrations, which convey immense amounts of information and meaning. It is a truly fantastic book.

4

May 03, 2017

This is a good, sort of encyclopedic, introduction to the Western alchemical tradition. Goes well beyond the facile "pre-Chemistry" treatment often lazily given in historical discussions of alchemy's role in Western epistemology.

Let's address that: epistemology. I've always been interested in these chimeric intermediary periods of history, and alchemy really does have one foot in the modern era, the other in the middle ages. Matter and spirit weren't always so divided as they are in modernity, This is a good, sort of encyclopedic, introduction to the Western alchemical tradition. Goes well beyond the facile "pre-Chemistry" treatment often lazily given in historical discussions of alchemy's role in Western epistemology.

Let's address that: epistemology. I've always been interested in these chimeric intermediary periods of history, and alchemy really does have one foot in the modern era, the other in the middle ages. Matter and spirit weren't always so divided as they are in modernity, which is almost entirely submerged in materialism and scientific positivism. This purging of anything mystical, indeed seemingly anything that goes beyond explicating the mechanistic elaborations of atoms, is precisely what one of my favorite writers, Joris-Karl Huysmans, bemoaned in his seminal works of A Rebours and La Bas. Huysmans manages to contextualize the importance of this proto-Renaissance period during late medieval period in La Bas via his protagonist's research into the infamous serial killer and comrade-in-arms of Joan D'arc, Gilles de Rais. This is all important to epistemology, as this time can be seen through the lens of de Rais.

With de Rais, that evil baron of Retz, we must reconcile his being an accomplished Latinist from a precocious age, a respected scholar with one of the largest private libraries in medieval Europe, someone widely read in the natural philosophy (i.e. science) of his time; yet also eventually attempting to use alchemical mysticism, human sacrifice, ritualistic sex practices, and demon summoning in a gambit to generate gold to fill his drained coffers. With de Rais, as with alchemy itself, we have on the one hand the development of what will become modern science and materialism, while on the other a thought process deeply soaked in medieval scholasticism. We have both a burgeoning understanding of the ways in which chemicals interact, and a conviction in the transubstantiation of the eucharist.

I think having read Jung will help readers understand some of the archetypes in the mystical tradition, which are elaborated upon in this book. Discussions involving the divine feminine and the divine masculine, the sultry and virginal, that run through the mystical alchemical tradition seem to suggest an exposure to biblical and theological traditions in the West (and their Jungian significance) would allow the reader to extract more from the otherwise rather encoded symbolic language with which this subject is rife.

The book is a decent primer in alchemy, delivering a steady discussion of the bulletpoints relevant to a very weird and interesting time in the development of Western thought. ...more

5

Jun 26, 2009

This is the unabridged version that every one should track down right away. Simply gorgeous, and of the quality one expects from Taschen when they're on top of their game.

4

Apr 15, 2009

This book is over 700 pages, and no, I have not read them all. It is mainly pictures however, and I have dipped into it widely. A good reference work on the art associated with alchemy and (to the degree it is possible) with mysticism.

4

Jul 12, 2016

This book assumes you already know a lot about alchemy and don't need any explanations, so it can be very confusing, but it was still fascinating to see how desperately people tried to make sense of the world. And while it may all seem ridiculous now, it's still the precursor to modern science and we have to thank all these mystics for their unceasing curiosity.

Plus, the illustrations are absolutely stunning. Such a bizarre and delightful picture book.

5

Dec 19, 2015

Want to learn about perception? The human mind? Art?

Get it, stare at it, and when it falls apart from overlove, take the pages and frame them.

The worst part about this book, well, two worst things about it, are:
1. Many people end up with the abridged version. Dont be one of these people. It should be around 600 pages, any less and you've been cheated out of some of the best parts.
2. The binding is extremely weak, and it WILL fall apart quickly.

4

Mar 09, 2015

This is not a book to read, but to contemplate. Just like walking around a museum for hours will cause you to walk past Van Goghs and Picasso's in indifference, starring at these for too long will cause insensitivity or- even worse- literal mindedness. This book doesn't go that deep into the principles of Alchemy, but it makes available unlike any other book I know of, a complete portal of sacred alchemical art both East and West. To say one has 'read' this book is deceiving ones self. To say This is not a book to read, but to contemplate. Just like walking around a museum for hours will cause you to walk past Van Goghs and Picasso's in indifference, starring at these for too long will cause insensitivity or- even worse- literal mindedness. This book doesn't go that deep into the principles of Alchemy, but it makes available unlike any other book I know of, a complete portal of sacred alchemical art both East and West. To say one has 'read' this book is deceiving ones self. To say one has grasped the truth through one of these manifold and enigmatic images, is found ...more

2

Feb 15, 2019

The pictures were amazing, but the commentary? Entirely nonsensical and poorly written. I had no idea what it was referencing 90% of the time.

5

Aug 01, 2017

700 pages of classical and obscure alchemical, hermetic and other less easily categorisable images - with short but excellent commentary. Taschen has published a much shorter version - 200 odd pages.

4

Mar 31, 2010

great for research... not so great for general understanding. you'll only understand it if you already know a thing or two about a thing or two! ;)

3

Nov 18, 2015

Very light on the subject matter, more trivial than in depth. Illustrations were interesting, but more depth would have been better.

5

Oct 20, 2007

who doesn't like gorgeous, useful, well-bound Taschen books? Especially this one. It is a superficial and often helpful reference when it comes to my line of work.

4

Mar 16, 2014

The one very bad thing about this book is its' binding. It is impossible to open all the way. This makes it difficult to view any whole pages.

5

Jan 21, 2008

An eclectic and vastly interesting resource. Its images takes precedence over its text, which is used mostly to catalog the pictures. A must-have for anyone interested in the intersection of mysticism and early science.

0

Sep 30, 2011

There's a larger version of this book I remember reading, but this particularly volume trades off some detail in the individual drawing for a far more portable and convenient size. Lots of beautiful imagery and a little bit of history as well.

4

Apr 24, 2011

A wonderful collection, this book is mostly prints, engravings, and plates taken from centuries of Hermetic literature. It explains (or perhaps,gives an interpenetration to)all the various meanings of all those symbols that Alchemists, Mystics, "heretics", and Astrologers have used throughout history. Worth it for the illustrations alone, I lucked out and acquired a copy for $2!

5

Jan 16, 2013

A beautiful compendium of pre-modernist info graphics when the human soul, and it's making, were thought to be a great achievement by eccentric and isolated individuals. This is a great visual porthole into the history of metaphysical thought, the early development of scientific thinking, and the romance of symbolic image-making. A great source of inspiration and just plain weird drawings.

4

May 17, 2012

A quite awesome graphic connection between many historic characters from the "Scientific revolution" like Copernicus, Newton, Kepler ; Great authors like Dante, Swift, Goethe, Joyce; Occultist like Jacob Boehme, Aleister Crowley and Alchemy.
It is remarkable that the root of revolution has its beginning in the tale of the salvation of the man by the man, that is the goal , the sorcerer stone of the great opus of the alchemy.
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Impressionante conexão gráfica entre muitos personagens A quite awesome graphic connection between many historic characters from the "Scientific revolution" like Copernicus, Newton, Kepler ; Great authors like Dante, Swift, Goethe, Joyce; Occultist like Jacob Boehme, Aleister Crowley and Alchemy.
It is remarkable that the root of revolution has its beginning in the tale of the salvation of the man by the man, that is the goal , the sorcerer stone of the great opus of the alchemy.
-----------
Impressionante conexão gráfica entre muitos personagens históricos , da "revolução científica", como Copernico, Kepler, Newtin; Grandes autores como Dante, Swift, Goethe, Joyce ; Ocultistas como Jacob Boehme, Crowley e alquimia.
É notável como podemos traçar as raízes do pensamento revolucionário com o advento do mito da salvação do homem pelo homem, que é o objetivo final, a "pedra filosofal" da grande obra alquímica.
...more

4

Feb 04, 2019

This book is full of great artwork and very interesting concepts. I will definitely be going back to it from time-to-time for some references. I really enjoy learning about more abstract views of the world and "secret teachings."

5

Jan 29, 2019

Mainly I bought this for the insane amount of Alchemical pictures that have been gathered in one place. If you're interested in Alchemy and it's history you really can't go wrong here. The descriptions aren't really the most detailed, but they do a good job of explaining some of the more obscure ideas and can help get you started researching on your own.

3

Jul 13, 2019

I recommend making use of this as a bedside book: good dreamfood, presumably, but at the same time it very definitely puts you to sleep. I read it over several months in this way.

It could be that I've lost interest in hermeticism and so on, because I don't feel that it's a bad book so much as it is uninteresting—the book is well put together, both in terms of organization and reference materials (esp. the extreme variety of alchemical sketches presented) and also in regards to the physicality of I recommend making use of this as a bedside book: good dreamfood, presumably, but at the same time it very definitely puts you to sleep. I read it over several months in this way.

It could be that I've lost interest in hermeticism and so on, because I don't feel that it's a bad book so much as it is uninteresting—the book is well put together, both in terms of organization and reference materials (esp. the extreme variety of alchemical sketches presented) and also in regards to the physicality of it, the sturdy pages and textured hardcover—but my apathy towards it may also be that the book is a wholesale regurgitation without independent thinking or substantial flow; wouldn't it be better just to read the original texts?

The Joyce mentions are cute and reek of him going solely off of some essay or two that he didn't cite. Blake is brought up a lot, and I feel that the author maybe could have done better just writing a book about Blake's alchemical influences, although the author was probably heavily referencing specifically such a work. ...more