Secrets Of Alchemy

Principe makes it clear that he is about to embark on a quest to unveil the ‘true nature of alchemy’: ‘Who were the alchemists, and what did they believe and do? What were their goals, and what did they accomplish? How did they envision their world and their work, and how were they seen by contemporaries?’ (p. 3). Taken together with stating that he wants to write not for specialists but the general reader and student instead, it becomes clear that The Secrets of Alchemy is a sober and fairly broad yet concise introduction to alchemy and its ‘secrets’.

Principe does not wish to dwell upon myriad alchemical authors or know sources, but instead focusses only on key figures and texts that may serve as ‘reckoning points’ (p. 4) for the reader. The book thus has the allure of an accessible reader which offers the essentials for an academically accepted understanding of western alchemy.

The author’s awareness that alchemy, as said, has been the victim of many anachronistic and incorrect interpretations and assessments is ubiquitous in The Secrets of Alchemy. He spills quite some ink to stress this point at several instances, and at the same time tries to separate alchemy from everything possibly occult. Now some instances will be discussed to exhibit some of the scholar’s approach.

These traces culminate in the insertion of chapter four, in which the downfall of alchemy is described in the light of the polarising intellectual discourse of the Enlightenment. An elaboration of the ever increasing critique alchemists had to endure apparently is imperative for Principe’s treatment for two reasons. First, the dissensions surrounding alchemy in the late seventeenth and particularly the first decades of the eighteenth century are simply an essential part of alchemy’s history. Second, however, it is to emphasise that alchemy as we get to know it through cinema and the average offer in book stores is not at all the historically correct presentation. The image of alchemy as an irrational pseudo-science as opposed to the rational and experimental chemistry is mainly an Enlightenment dichotomy, whereas its mystical and psychological dimensions are (late) nineteenth-century reinterpretations. Hence Principe’s preference for the term ‘chymistry’, instead of ‘chemistry’ and ‘alchemy’ with their semantic burden (p. 85).

In general it must be remarked that The Secrets of Alchemy ties in well to modern and recent scholarship on the history and content of alchemy. He has added ample footnotes for further reading. The reader gets familiar with alchemical key texts and authors, modern editions thereof, and becomes acquainted with modern ideas on the subject. Moreover, Principe brings his readers to actual (al)chemical experimentation by introducing his own laboratory experiments. This really adds a new dimension to the book, since the author has a degree in chemistry as well, and he utilises this to demonstrate the concrete experimental background of sometimes riddling texts.

He attends to a lot of aspects in the history of alchemy, such as its cultural context, development of fundamental theories and contemporary receptions. He is at pains to avoid anachronisms, prejudice and generalisation, but instead remains nuanced (e.g. Zosimos, p. 22). With regard to the historiography of the discipline, his agenda should be welcomed as a valuable contribution to old studies by for instance Thompson and Holmyard. Indeed he makes alchemy divulge its secrets, and his The Secrets of Alchemy is therefore entertaining, accessible, subtle and, perhaps most importantly for its uniqueness, quite concrete and refreshing.

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