The Age of Alchemy
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Home > Mathematics and Science books > Chemistry > The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry
The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry

The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry


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About the Book

AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4 START THE WEEK 'Glittering' PHILIP BALL 'Superb' TIM MINSHALL 'A globetrotting, time-travelling account of the roots of chemistry' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE The first chemists were Sri Lankan forgers who crafted unimaginably strong steel millennia before it should have been possible. They were alchemists in Roman Egypt, who designed apparatus still in use today. They were Stone Age leatherworkers, Tang Dynasty herbalists and Mayan stoneworkers. The Enlightenment is usually credited with the origins of chemistry, but in truth, the science blossomed gradually. As early innovators distilled, smelted, forged and fermented their way through the centuries, they blurred science and mysticism in search of answers to life's greatest mysteries. Join Kit Chapman on a global quest to achieve immortality, cure all disease and transmute lead into gold as he reveals the illuminating stories of how the alchemists first broke new ground and shaped the scientific method.

About the Author :
Kit Chapman is an award-winning science communicator and adventurer. He has a masters degree in pharmacy, a PhD in the history of science, and is now a lecturer at Falmouth University. He has written for publications including Nature, New Scientist, Chemistry World and the Telegraph. His work has taken him to more than 100 countries to seek out amazing tales from the cutting edge of science.

Review :
Hugely entertaining ... a globetrotting, time-travelling account of the roots of chemistry At last alchemy has an entertaining and accessible introduction to match the colourful lives of its practitioners. With Kit Chapman as our guide, we discover the global reach of the alchemists and come to a new appreciation of the work that laid the foundations for modern chemistry. Timely and essential, this is great storytelling. Fascinating... argues that alchemists and early experiments, were not a wrong turn off the road to modern scientific method, but an essential part of the journey This is my favourite sort of book, one that effortlessly blends science, global history, travel and human stories to fascinate and delight. Chapman is an expert storyteller who takes us through time and space to unravel the mysteries of the past The most enjoyable introduction to alchemy I have ever read. In The Age of Alchemy, Kit Chapman has transmuted a ponderous mass of painstaking research into a glittering confection of science and history Kit Chapman's book delivers a surprise on almost every page. Each chapter delivers a beautiful summary of the long and fascinating journey through millennia from the magical to the scientific - via alchemy, gunpowder, tea and much more! Kit is a superb tour guide for this journey, linking places, people, time and knowledge in such an accessible and engaging manner Brilliant Kit Chapman has gone deep into the arcane back-alleys of alchemy and come back with a vibrant cast of prophets, heroes, martyrs and geniuses. In doing so, he helps restore alchemy to its rightful place, central to the development of the scientific tradition Fascinating stuff .. this romp through the history of alchemy takes as its focal point how the traditions and writings of craftsmen, physicians, charlatans and 'professors of secrets' shaped modern chemistry ... an accessible book that's stacked with intriguing asides and stories - like Mary 'the Jewess', Paracelsus, Ibn Sina and Jabir from the Islamic Golden Age A fascinating account of the history of alchemy and how it eventually morphed into the science of chemistry. Very well written and very readable - make sure you read the pithy and entertaining footnotes! A copy of this book should be on every chemist's bookshelf PRAISE FOR KIT CHAPMAN This deeply researched and engaging tour of the nether reaches of the periodic table will delight and inform everyone With meticulous attention to detail and careful research, Chapman masterfully captures the excitement, politics and competition of the transuranic elements Chapman writes engagingly about the benefits motor racing has brought to a climate problem that needs all hands on the wheel With meticulous attention to detail and careful research, Chapman masterfully captures the excitement, politics and competition of the transuranic elements. Chapman's energy and enthusiasm is evident in every interaction, whether he is uncovering elaborate experimental details or unearthing scientific rivalries Making elements that don't exist in nature is one of the craziest, most painstaking and bold pursuits in all of science, and Superheavy tells that story for the first time, with wit and verve. This deeply researched and engaging tour of the nether reaches of the periodic table will delight and inform everyone from the expert to the reader with only the dimmest memory of the iconic chart of chemical elements on the school lab wall


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9781805221173
  • Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
  • Publisher Imprint: Profile Books Ltd
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1805221175
  • Publisher Date: 30 Apr 2026
  • Binding: Digital download
  • Sub Title: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry


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