The Alchemist

The figure of the alchemist has, in recent years, become an enormously prevalent image in advertising and popular culture. You can scarcely open a magazine or the Internet without encountering references to economists, chemists, artists, and others as 'alchemists' of their fields. This study examines the alchemist in literature from Dante to the present and shows how the popular response to that figure varies from period to period. From the Middle Ages down tothe Enlightenment, when many people still believed in alchemy, writers treated alchemists with ridicule and exposed them as charlatans out to cheat the gullible public. When alchemy was discredited bymodern science, the alchemist himself was romanticized by some writers, who turned the figure into a social altruist, poet, or religious thinker. In the twentieth century, under the influence of C. G. Jung, the figure of the alchemist was further popularized, becoming an image for transmutations of every sort-from economics and medicine to music and art. This vast popular appeal encouraged many writers to undertake fictions of various sorts-historical novels, juxtapositions of present andpast, contemporary settings-featuring protagonists who regard themselves in some sense as modern alchemists. In sum, the figure of the alchemist provides a seismograph by which we can measure shifts inpopular culture.

“If you really want to learn the basic principles of practical alchemy, Frater Albertus’ Alchemist’s Handbook is literally is worth its weight in gold.”—from the foreword by Israel Regardie, author of The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order The Alchemist's Handbook has long been considered a modern-day classic on the actual practice of alchemy since its first publication in 1960. The book still stands as a groundbreaking work presenting in clear, concise language a practical manual of working knowledge that was formerly handed down only under oath of secrecy. The scope of alchemical work is to provide both a means to synthesize all the other sciences and the necessary training of the intellectual and spiritual faculties. “Hermetic philosophy, with its practical arcanum,” writes Frater Albertus, “repeats itself over and over again in the ancient axiom ‘As above, so below. As below, so above.’" The Alchemist's Handbook discusses in detail: The basic fundamental principles of alchemy. A guide to 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 teachings of Frater Albertus are part of a lineage that traces back to Rosicrucian sources and much earlier and The Alchemist’s Handbook is still the best introduction to that lineage. If you feel the call of Alchemy and want real information on the subject, this is definitely the book you will want to read, reread, and read again. It may just turn out to be the book that changes your life.”—From the foreword by Robert Allen Bartlett, author of Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical Alchemy First published by Weiser Books in 1974, this new Weiser Classics edition includes a new foreword by Robert Allen Bartlett, author of Real Alchemy.

The first in a gripping conspiracy thriller series for fans of Scott Mariani and Dan Brown. A dark figure. A secret code. A battle between good and evil... Years ago the Knights Templar developed a secret code. A code so secret that only one man could remember it. The code lies in the hidden recesses of Lorenzo Aragona's memory. The alchemist has always known it, but, until he crosses paths with a beautiful but brutal Russian spy, he does not realise its significance. In a race against the clock from Naples to Kiev, Lorenzo uncovers an ancient history involving Nazis and Freemasons, secrets and spies. He must remember the code, unlock the Baphomet and take control of The Guardian of the Threshold. The lives of the Pope, his dying wife and all of mankind are at stake and only Lorenzo has the power to save them... What readers are saying about THE ALCHEMIST'S CODE: 'A great idea: has anybody ever imagined waking up and figuring out that their life is nothing but a fictional play? Rua describes this feeling the way all of us would imagine it. I read it in one night. Overwhelming! 5 stars because I cannot give more' 'The author masters the suspense and the reader encounters thrilling mysteries step by step, like the pieces of a puzzle' 'I did not know this author before I read The Alchemist's Code and I have to admit that he is a pleasant discovery. The story captures you from the first page and the reader can enjoy the story although it is all about mysteries, esotericism, codes, and... that's it, I'm not going to reveal anything else, just read it!'

Based on some of literature’s horror and science fiction classics, this is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders—and the bigger mystery of their own origins. Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents’ death, is curious about the secrets of her father’s mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her father’s former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes. But her hunt leads her to Hyde’s daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherin Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein. When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past return. Now it is up to the monsters to finally triumph over the monstrous.

Andrew, an eleven-year-old orphan, becomes apprenticed to an alchemist and begins a life of adventure.

The royal alchemist's dog Sophia is able to discover for herself the secret of making gold, but when the king comes to visit he finds treasure of a different kind.

Tie-in with high-profile production at the National Theatre on London's South Bank.

When her father and her country are threatened, Sidonie tries to make gold.

Jonson's London - Characteristics of Jonson's comedy - Some remarks on the verse.

A Baghdad merchant, who discovers an alchemical device that can send him back in time twenty years, tries to return to an earlier time to save his dead wife.