Books like Alchemy and Alchemists by Sean Martin

"This book discusses eight critical issues in the history of Latin and Arabic alchemy and chemistry, which are currently accepted without concrete evidence, and are based mainly on conjecture.The essays in the book are based on extensive research into Arabic manuscripts and Latin literature. The results of this research are challenging. They prove the Arabic origin of the Summa Perfectionis and the other Geber Latin works. Thus the prevailing conjectures about assumed Latin authors are refuted on the basis of ample evidence. The book discusses the Arabic original of Liber de compositione alchimiae that was the first treatise on alchemy to appear in the West. It brings into light for the first time Jabir's book of recipes on the colouring of glass and his other chemical industrial recipes. An essay discusses potassium nitrate and nitric acid in Arabic and Latin sources. Both were known before the 13th century. Explosive gunpowder with the ideal formula and portable cannon were known in Arabic military treatises in the 13th century. The book gives an essay on the distillation of wine and alcohol since the eighth century. The final essay is on the composition of Damascus steel."--Publisher's description.

In The Alchemy of Us, scientist and science writer Ainissa Ramirez examines eight inventions—clocks, steel rails, copper communication cables, photographic film, light bulbs, hard disks, scientific labware, and silicon chips—and reveals how they shaped the human experience. Ramirez tells the stories of the woman who sold time, the inventor who inspired Edison, and the hotheaded undertaker whose invention pointed the way to the computer. She describes, among other things, how our pursuit of precision in timepieces changed how we sleep; how the railroad helped commercialize Christmas; how the necessary brevity of the telegram influenced Hemingway's writing style; and how a young chemist exposed the use of Polaroid's cameras to create passbooks to track black citizens in apartheid South Africa. These fascinating and inspiring stories offer new perspectives on our relationships with technologies. Ramirez shows not only how materials were shaped by inventors but also how those materials shaped culture, chronicling each invention and its consequences—intended and unintended. Filling in the gaps left by other books about technology, Ramirez showcases little-known inventors—particularly people of color and women—who had a significant impact but whose accomplishments have been hidden by mythmaking, bias, and convention. Doing so, she shows us the power of telling inclusive stories about technology. She also shows that innovation is universal—whether it's splicing beats with two turntables and a microphone or splicing genes with two test tubes and CRISPR.

Examines the principles and meaning of alchemy, discusses ancient and modern alchemists, and describes the practice of alchemy in the twentieth century.

An illustrated survey of alchemy and alchemists, both past and present.

Formerly handed down under oath of secrecy, this clear, concise handbook discusses: the fundamental principles of alchemy; directions for the formation of an inexpensive home laboratory, with illustrations of the necessary equipment; step-by-step instructions for the work of the Lesser Circulation, the alchemical transformation within the plant kingdom?the necessary prerequisite for any work in the mineral kingdom.

An encyclopedic dictionary of alchemy, featuring illustrations and entries on alchemists, laboratory operations, and key figures in the brotherhoods and publishing practices of the time, all illustrated with emblems and images.

Eric John Holmyard’s classic work surveys 2,000 years of alchemy, tracing its Greek, Chinese, Islamic, and Western traditions, apparatus, symbols, and key figures.

"In The Secrets of Alchemy, Lawrence M. Principe, one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, brings alchemy out of the shadows and restores it to its important place in human history and culture. By surveying what alchemy was and how it began, developed, and overlapped with a range of ideas and pursuits, Principe illuminates the practice. He vividly depicts the place of alchemy during its heyday in early modern Europe, and then explores how alchemy has fit into wider views of the cosmos and humanity, touching on its enduring place in literature, fine art, theater, and religion as well as its recent acceptance as a serious subject of study for historians of science. In addition, he introduces the reader to some of the most fascinating alchemists, such as Zosimos and Basil Valentine, whose lives dot alchemy's long reign from the third century and to the present day. Through his exploration of alchemists and their times, Principe pieces together closely guarded clues from obscure and fragmented texts to reveal alchemy's secrets and--most exciting for budding alchemists--uses them to recreate many of the most famous recipes in his lab, including those for the 'glass of antimony' and 'Philosophers' Tree.' This unique approach brings the reader closer to the actual work of alchemy than any other book."--Book jacket.