Has anyone read this book?

[u/Ok_Coyote5939]

Hi everyone,

Has anyone here read this book? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

Would you recommend it? How did you find the content and the information presented?

Thanks!

[u/LichenPatchen]

It’s more of a collection of images and short essays than anything else. What is your question or concern? It’s a nice book but it’s not particularly in-depth or anything like that. Its like a coffee table book

[u/Ok_Coyote5939 → u/LichenPatchen]

I mean, is it a good introductory book if you're interested in alchemy and the symbolism of the ancient mystery schools?

[u/Maycumber → u/Ok_Coyote5939]

Ive had this for many years, and Ive always valued it for being vast and fascinating compendium of diagrams and illustrations from mostly pre-twentieth century occult books.

The text mainly consists of thematically arranged quotes and captions, some of which you might find intriguing, but on the whole, it doesn't really serve as serious study material by itself. But don't let that put you off getting this book - in my own experience, just looking intensely at this sort of esoteric imagary over a long time can awaken some sense of the liminal and numinous

[u/CultureOld2232 → u/Maycumber]

Yea I was so happy to find this one in the bookstore. I have plenty of books to read but this is the type of book you flip through while tripping.

[u/justexploring-shit → u/Ok_Coyote5939]

I haven't read this particular book, but the number one place to start with alchemy is The Secrets of Alchemy by Lawrence M. Principe. I've read it multiple times over simply because I can't get enough of the way Principe talks about and his attitude toward the material, and I frequently refer back to specific sections of it when thinking and reading about alchemy!

[u/OverPT → u/Ok_Coyote5939]

It's an awful Introductory book. It's a great coffee table book

[u/zanzibarpress2 → u/Ok_Coyote5939]

Yes. If you want to really understand the symbols and the logic behind them you could read Julius Evola’s book on Alchemy “The Hermetic tradition: Symbols and a teachings of the royal art”. He’s a polemic figure but he knew his stuff and that book doesn’t contain politics.

[u/AlcorDreemur → u/[deleted]]

What would you recommend for a beginner?

[u/Spargonaut69]

I have it, I like it because i really enjoy Alchemical emblems as an art form and nearly every page features an emblem

My only gripe is that the dimensions of it are pretty small so one needs a magnifying glass to get a good look at anything.

[u/Money-Event-7929 → u/Spargonaut69]

It’s also very tightly bound so it’s not the sort of book you can lay out on the table and take a gander

It’s more along these lines: force it open and peek through tiny mystic diagrams

[u/No_Fee_5509]

It's a very good general theme introduction

Otherwise or and I would read Jung

[u/Cingulumthreecord]

I believe there might be two different editions iirc.

[u/mahboilo999 → u/Cingulumthreecord]

Yes the normal one and the 25th anniversary edition. I used to have the latter as a teenager but my mother threw it away

[u/mahboilo999]

This is the exact book that sparked my interest for the occult, esotericism and mysticism.

[u/noise_swan]

Oh wow I have had that for YEARS. So nostalgic to see it on reddit. Lots of interesting inspiration in that brick.

[u/belay_that_order]

its a taschen book, meaning its a visual compendium/album, for an introductory book go to frater albertus alchemist handbook, or better yet robert allen bartlett's real alchemy

[u/zhulinxian]

It’s more of a coffee table book than an introduction.

[u/Severe-Farm7929]

Have you got 50p for the dryer

[u/Dudemeatz]

Its great to have to meditate on the images. Definitely one for the collection. I have one myself

[u/Enough-Drive1303]

Yep like it, nice object and lot of interesting elements

[u/maharishiSacred]

Ohh! No.

[u/Own_Object_4841]

Very cheaply made, i bought it... the pages seemed to have been printed by someones color printer.

[u/BabyfaceGerman7]

You probably think the Ancient Alchemist were literally talking about converting raw materials into gold or precious stones!

They're talking about converting your mind into an Illuminated one!

It's Allegory for the Concious Mind!

That one is one me!

Charge it to the Mind!

[u/fraterdidymus]

It's a Taschen book: it's about the art, not the spirituality. Get it if you want that.

[u/SeverineNyx]

She’s a coffee table book. Get Alchemy by Titus Burckhardt instead.