Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Ebook718 pages15 hours
The Experimental Fire: Inventing English Alchemy, 1300–1700
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
A 400-year history of the development of alchemy in England that brings to light the evolution of the practice.
In medieval and early modern Europe, the practice of alchemy promised extraordinary physical transformations. Who would not be amazed to see base metals turned into silver and gold, hard iron into soft water, and deadly poison into elixirs that could heal the human body? To defend such claims, alchemists turned to the past, scouring ancient books for evidence of a lost alchemical heritage and seeking to translate their secret language and obscure imagery into replicable, practical effects.
Tracing the development of alchemy in England over four hundred years, from the beginning of the fourteenth century to the end of the seventeenth, Jennifer M. Rampling illuminates the role of alchemical reading and experimental practice in the broader context of national and scientific history. Using new manuscript sources, she shows how practitioners like George Ripley, John Dee, and Edward Kelley, as well as many previously unknown alchemists, devised new practical approaches to alchemy while seeking the support of English monarchs. By reconstructing their alchemical ideas, practices, and disputes, Rampling reveals how English alchemy was continually reinvented over the space of four centuries, resulting in changes to the science itself. In so doing, The Experimental Fire bridges the intellectual history of chemistry and the wider worlds of early modern patronage, medicine, and science.
In medieval and early modern Europe, the practice of alchemy promised extraordinary physical transformations. Who would not be amazed to see base metals turned into silver and gold, hard iron into soft water, and deadly poison into elixirs that could heal the human body? To defend such claims, alchemists turned to the past, scouring ancient books for evidence of a lost alchemical heritage and seeking to translate their secret language and obscure imagery into replicable, practical effects.
Tracing the development of alchemy in England over four hundred years, from the beginning of the fourteenth century to the end of the seventeenth, Jennifer M. Rampling illuminates the role of alchemical reading and experimental practice in the broader context of national and scientific history. Using new manuscript sources, she shows how practitioners like George Ripley, John Dee, and Edward Kelley, as well as many previously unknown alchemists, devised new practical approaches to alchemy while seeking the support of English monarchs. By reconstructing their alchemical ideas, practices, and disputes, Rampling reveals how English alchemy was continually reinvented over the space of four centuries, resulting in changes to the science itself. In so doing, The Experimental Fire bridges the intellectual history of chemistry and the wider worlds of early modern patronage, medicine, and science.
Unavailable
Related to The Experimental Fire
Related ebooks
The Transmutations of Chymistry: Wilhelm Homberg and the Académie Royale des Sciences Alchemical Laboratory Notebooks and Correspondence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Experimental Fire: Inventing English Alchemy, 1300–1700 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPromethean Ambitions: Alchemy and the Quest to Perfect Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alchemy and Authority in the Holy Roman Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alchemy Tried in the Fire: Starkey, Boyle, and the Fate of Helmontian Chymistry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Aspiring Adept: Robert Boyle and His Alchemical Quest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Alchemy to Chemistry Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Golden Chain of Homer: Aurea Catena Homeri Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlchemy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An Alchemical Treatise on the Great Art Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlchemy in Medieval and Tudor England Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOsiris, Volume 29: Chemical Knowledge in the Early Modern World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Way of the Crucible Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Hunting of the Greene Lyon: A rare 15th century alchemical poem Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlchemical Mercury: A Theory of Ambivalence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAtoms and Alchemy: Chymistry and the Experimental Origins of the Scientific Revolution Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The lost knowledge of Alchemy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Paracelsus to Newton: Magic and the Making of Modern Science Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bygone Beliefs: being a series of excursions in the byways of thought Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlchemy Rediscovered and Restored: Study on the Ancient Science of Alchemy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPraxis Spagyrica Philosophica Ot Plain and Honest Directions on How to Make the Stone: & From "One" to "Ten" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chemical Philosophy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alchemy: Ancient and Modern (Illustrated) Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The Hermetic Museum of the Alchemist. Vol 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secrets of Alchemy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hermetic Museum Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMagic in the Cloister: Pious Motives, Illicit Interests, and Occult Approaches to the Medieval Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Science & Mathematics For You
The Big Book of Hacks: 264 Amazing DIY Tech Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Psychology of Totalitarianism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Think Critically: Question, Analyze, Reflect, Debate. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/52084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memory Craft: Improve Your Memory with the Most Powerful Methods in History Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Systems Thinker: Essential Thinking Skills For Solving Problems, Managing Chaos, Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Metaphors We Live By Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work - and Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No Stone Unturned: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Free Will Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No-Drama Discipline: the bestselling parenting guide to nurturing your child's developing mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies My Gov't Told Me: And the Better Future Coming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Born for Love: Why Empathy Is Essential--and Endangered Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Crack In Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related podcast episodes
The Restoration: Melvyn Bragg looks at the reign of Charles II and the consequences of the Restoration. 0% found this document usefulThe Fire of London: Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Great Fire of London and the rebuilding of the city. 0% found this document usefulThe Fire of London: Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Great Fire of London and the rebuilding of the city. 0% found this document usefulThe Romantics: Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideals, exponents and legacy of Romanticism. 0% found this document usefulThe Romantics: Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideals, exponents and legacy of Romanticism. 100% found this document usefulNew Thinking: Carols and Convents: English Nuns abroad, and are carols just for Christmas? 0% found this document usefulA lively Tudor world: From needlework to marriage portraits to depicting music on the page 0% found this document usefulThe Book of Common Prayer: Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Book of Common Prayer. 0% found this document usefulShakespeare's Sonnets Part 1: Little Desiring Machines 0% found this document usefulShakespeare's Sonnets Part 1: A Discussion with Michael Schoenfeldt 100% found this document usefulThe Scriblerus Club: Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the satirical 18th century Scriblerus Club. 0% found this document usefulThe Scriblerus Club: Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the satirical 18th century Scriblerus Club. 0% found this document useful
Related articles
Alchemy And Chemistry In An Age Of Transition All About HistoryArticle
Alchemy And Chemistry In An Age Of Transition
Feb 28, 2020
6 min readAn Alchemist’s Laboratory All About HistoryArticle
An Alchemist’s Laboratory
Feb 28, 2020
1 min readWelcome To History Of Alchemy All About HistoryArticle
Welcome To History Of Alchemy
Feb 28, 2020
1 min readThe Four Elements All About HistoryArticle
The Four Elements
Feb 28, 2020
1 min readAlchemy enters Europe All About HistoryArticle
Alchemy enters Europe
Feb 28, 2020
5 min readAlchemy in Europe All About HistoryArticle
Alchemy in Europe
Feb 28, 2020
3 min readThe Philosopher’s Stone All About HistoryArticle
The Philosopher’s Stone
Feb 28, 2020
2 min readMaterials And Methods All About HistoryArticle
Materials And Methods
Feb 28, 2020
1 min readEarly Alchemists All About HistoryArticle
Early Alchemists
Feb 28, 2020
1 min readThe Four Elements All About HistoryArticle
The Four Elements
Mar 27, 2020
2 min readThe Vulgar Mechanic and His Magical Oven: A Renaissance alchemist pioneers feedback control. NautilusArticle
The Vulgar Mechanic and His Magical Oven: A Renaissance alchemist pioneers feedback control.
Apr 10, 2014
By the time Cornelis Drebbel built an oven with a simple thermostat, one of the first manmade feedback mechanisms in history, in the 1620s, he was regarded in Europe as a magisterial, if not mad, inventor. He had already enchanted royalty and common
8 min readSecrets Of The Alchemists All About HistoryArticle
Secrets Of The Alchemists
Feb 28, 2020
7 min readSecrets And Symbols All About HistoryArticle
Secrets And Symbols
Feb 28, 2020
One of the lesser-known alchemical symbols, the Dark Sun, or sol niger, is symbolic of change, essential to the goals of transmutation that alchemists worked towards. It can also be linked to the blackening of matter, or even putrefaction. This image
1 min readSymbols And Secrets All About HistoryArticle
Symbols And Secrets
Feb 28, 2020
1 min readThe Crucible Of Alchemy All About HistoryArticle
The Crucible Of Alchemy
Feb 28, 2020
10 min readThe Secret History Of Alchemy All About HistoryArticle
The Secret History Of Alchemy
Feb 28, 2020
3 min readHe Made The World A Better Place Country LifeArticle
He Made The World A Better Place
Jan 12, 2022
THE name Dr John Coakley Lettsom will be familiar to historians of gardens and of medical practice in Britain, but this is the first major effort to place him in the wider context of enlightened middle-class men of taste and science in Georgian Engla
5 min readThe Big Idea: Could The Greatest Works Of Literature Be Undiscovered? The GuardianArticle
The Big Idea: Could The Greatest Works Of Literature Be Undiscovered?
May 30, 2022
When the great library at Alexandria went up in flames, it is said that the books took six months to burn. We can’t know if this is true. Exactly how the library met its end, and whether it even existed, have been subjects of speculation for more tha
4 min readHalls Of Learning Country LifeArticle
Halls Of Learning
Nov 4, 2020
3 min readA Book-lovers' Paradise BBC History MagazineArticle
A Book-lovers' Paradise
Feb 16, 2023
Oxford is a city of books. The university’s Bodleian Library - rather, now, Libraries - boasts a collection of more than 13.5 million printed items, with around 2 million of these housed in 30 libraries around the city. Although the primary function
2 min readA Tantalizing Promise Ancient History MagazineArticle
A Tantalizing Promise
Aug 4, 2023
4 min readThe Medieval Philosopher Who Outlined the Basics of the Universe Literary HubArticle
The Medieval Philosopher Who Outlined the Basics of the Universe
Nov 30, 2020
8 min readOxford Discover BritainArticle
Oxford
Jul 7, 2023
4 min readWho was Sir Christopher Wren? Country LifeArticle
Who was Sir Christopher Wren?
Feb 15, 2023
9 min readMarking Time Fortean TimesArticle
Marking Time
Oct 7, 2021
From the Age of Discovery to Our Digital Era Kären Wigen & Caroline Winterer eds University of Chicago Press 2020 Hb, 231pp, £34, ISBN 9780226178590 Although we tend to think of maps as a way of representing space, we actually use them for much more,
8 min readWord Zealots New Zealand ListenerArticle
Word Zealots
Dec 11, 2023
THE DICTIONARY PEOPLE: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary by Sarah Ogilvie (Chatto &Windus, $40) There are books full of words about all kinds of things, then there are books full of words about other words: grammar books,
2 min readA Cotswold capital Country LifeArticle
A Cotswold capital
Sep 21, 2022
IN 1644, the Royal Mint struck a unique silver crown coin. It showed Charles I mounted on a warhorse bestriding a detailed panorama of the City of Oxford (Fig 3). Never before had an English city been depicted on the coinage of the land. This accolad
7 min readHenry Vaughan’s Eternal Alchemy The MillionsArticle
Henry Vaughan’s Eternal Alchemy
Apr 16, 2021
What faith teaches is that we're all exiles from that Zion that is eternity, to which we shall one day return. What Vaughan understands is that if we seek eternity, it is now. The post Henry Vaughan’s Eternal Alchemy appeared first on The Millions.
9 min readSt Paul’s & The Polymath BritainArticle
St Paul’s & The Polymath
Feb 10, 2023
5 min readTop 10 Oxford BritainArticle
Top 10 Oxford
Nov 29, 2019
3 min read
Reviews for The Experimental Fire
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews