Description

The first chemists were Sri Lankan steel forgers in the first century BCE, alchemists who emerged in Roman Egypt; herbalists in Tang Dynasty China and engineers in eighth-century South America.

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 millennia, blurring 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.

Publisher Review

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. — Hugh Aldersey-Williams, bestselling author of THE PERIODIC TALES 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 — Roma Agrawal, author of NUTS & BOLTS 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 — Phil Ball, author of HOW LIFE WORKS 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 — Tim Minshall, author of YOUR LIFE IS MANUFACTURED 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 — Philip Marsden, author of UNDER A METAL SKY PRAISE FOR KIT CHAPMAN * : * This deeply researched and engaging tour of the nether reaches of the periodic table will delight and inform everyone — Philip Ball With meticulous attention to detail and careful research, Chapman masterfully captures the excitement, politics and competition of the transuranic elements — Jess Wade Chapman writes engagingly about the benefits motor racing has brought to a climate problem that needs all hands on the wheel * Financial Times * 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 — Philip Ball 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 — Jess Wade