A while ago I started writing an essay on the history and nature of alchemy. It's barely ordered, and only part completed. I may get around to finishing it some day. I've left it as a .doc file, and you may need to use MS Word to read the footnotes and such. Read, enjoy, criticise, whatever.

http://bad-sports.com/~archive/alchemy.doc

translations of texts some of the more famous alchemists throughout history........Roger Bacon is this a joke!??? :D :p

p.s. have u ever been published adam? looks good so far :)

I just started writing it coz I was briefly interested in the subject, and I thought it might be a good way to gather a clear picture of it all.

Ive done things like that in the past but not as detailed as that. loks really good. going to read bits when ive got some spare time

Alchemy ?? Wasn't that started to figure out how to turn lead into gold??

The gold thing is part of it, yes. A small part.

So has anyone read the whole thing yet?

I read about the gold last night adam. veeeery interesting. Only read it quickly though because i was just about to go to bed when it caught my eye. Am going to read more tonight. very well written and presented though. (bit heavy going though.)

There is of course no written record of Australian aborigine mystical/religious practices prior to European settlement of Australia; however, Stone Age tribes have been observed since then performing rites which must obviously predate European arrival on that continent (must, because it is highly doubtful they spontaneously occurred upon the arrival of Europeans). they could have been taught these rituals by the europens though couldnt they?

Well, I guess if the same happened every place Europeans encountered Stone Age or Bronze Age cultures...

[QUOTE]UberDragon
Stay away from the cans!!

Alchemy ?? Wasn't that started to figure out how to turn lead into gold?? [QUOTE]

i dont think anyone can turn lead into gold uberdragon :confused: otherwise there would be a lot of rich people out there (well actually there wouldnt because lots of people would do it and the gold would become worthless and would no longer be as valuable as it is ;) :) ).
Read some more last night Adam. Its very good actually. Started getting into it actually. Youve researched it well. Ill let you know any more thoughts as i read through it.

I too have started readin it adam. ive been a bit busy as of late though but i will post with some more thoughts when i read some more.

I think you should apologise to uber dragon pete. I have read a book by Paulo Cuerlho (i think thats how its spelt) called the alchemist and it talks of turning lead into gold! Anyone read it?? its brilliant! The best book ive for a long time. Started to read adams essay as a result. its very deep though adam. Takes a lot of concentration to read though.You did say that criticism was welcome though. Im sure from what ive read that your research is extensive and id say probably accurate but, no disrespect, is there any way it could be broken down a bit more?
You also said that the philosophers stone was a myth. So you dont beleive that its possible to turn lead into gold eh?? ;)

Can it be broken down, made shorter? No. If I ever finish it, it will end up much longer.

Gold can be manufactured through fusion, some time in the future, I would guess.

I read a little of it (so far so good) but I would prefer to read
it when it is finished. I thought this link might be of interest,
apologies in advance if you are already familiar with it. :)

The alchemy website (http://www.alchemywebsite.com/)

Neville: I have read The Alchemist. I agree - it's very good.

So if i offended you adam. I just wanted to post something before you thought that noone had read it because it looks like a lot of effort has gone into it. That was the only criticism i had and thats probably because i havent really had that much time to sit down and get into it. Ive read it a little bit. Youve inspired me to look into alchemy though :) . i got the alchemist book becuase i was waiting for a train at manchester piccadilly and had some time to kill and wanted something to read. I saw it and remembered your link. Im glad i bought it cos its brilliant. Couldnt put it down. Some would say that that little story itself sums up the book itself ;) :D . Anyway ive got another book on alchemy :) :) Keep up the postings adam :)

No, I wasn't offended at all. :D I asked for comments. I realise it is very longwinded for some, but I was hoping to be thorough.

By the way, do you know a town called Whitstable, in Kent? It's where one of my grandfathers came from...

i have an interest in alchemy, too. however, strictly from an historical viewpoint, but, darn it...i'm not able to read your paper. i can't DL it.

I just tried from here again, works fine for me. I do plan to make an HTML version when/if it is ever complete.

I have heard of whitstable. Why? What is so significant about it?

Oh, I was just curious. Grandfather came from there, and since you mentioned you're from England, I wondered if you knew the place.