Review of The Riddle of Alchemy

[Amy_Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Riddle of Alchemy" by Paul Kiritsis.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Riddle of Alchemy, written by Paul Kiritsis, is unlike any other book I've read. The author did a great job of giving precise details on the topics in the book. This is no surprise, considering the richness of the endnotes at the end of the chapters, and the references at the end of the book, which indicate very thorough research. That, to me, gives the book 100% credibility.

The Riddle of Alchemy, is divided into 3 parts. The first part is ’Alchemy: Histories', which addresses areas like ancient Egyptian crafts and alchemy in the Renaissance period. The second part is ‘Alchemy: Processes of the Mind', which addresses psychological areas like alchemical interpretations of human personalities. I found this to be the most interesting part. The third part is ‘Alchemy: The Noetic Science’, which covers areas of alchemical theories and pursuits, like metallic transmutation. This was my first time reading about base metals like lead being transformed to precious metals like gold. I found it quite fascinating. The author highlighted certain beliefs of the people who practiced alchemy, and threw light on the theories they worked with, citing the works of various philosophers like Anaximenes and Aristotle.

I can't say there was anything I didn't like about the book. Lots of big words were used, but I believe that points to the intelligence of the author and his immense understanding of the subject matter. I believe someone well versed in alchemy will adequately understand him and appreciate his vocabulary.

What I like most about the book is how the author went straight to the point in each chapter, and how rich and vast the resources he used are. I especially loved the appendices, where he talked about the elements, metals and planets. Worthy of note are the diagrams which intermittently decorated the pages of the book. Though they were mostly strange figures, they were well drawn and helped me to better imagine the concepts described by the author. Also, the book was professionally edited, as I did not come across any errors. For these reasons, I rate the book 5 out of 5 stars.

I recommend this fascinating book to philosophers, historians, researchers, and anyone interested in alchemy.

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The Riddle of Alchemy
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[Autumn Shears]

Thank you for naming the specifics of this book. The cover drew me in instantly. Since it's about different parts of alchemy and metals (which is a mini-interest of mine), I just may give this a read.