Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers

by Arthur Edward Waite, Francis Barrett Barrett (Contributor)

Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers - based on materials collected in 1815 and supplemented by recent researches with a philosophical demonstration of the true principles of the magnum opus, or great work of alchemical re-construction is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1888. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2010

About the author

Arthur Edward Waite was a scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. As his biographer, R.A. Gilbert described him, "Waite's name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of western occultism viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of proto-science or as the pathology of religion."

Reviews

[LMM Jones]

Shelley famously wrote her Victor Frankenstein, as an isolated autodidact, seeking to learn science through Albertus Magnus and Paracelsus before he learned their systems had long been upended. Of course, even after committing himself to the study of modern science and the use of its methods, Frankenstein's goals are firmly within the tradition of the alchemists of his previous study. As Magnus was said to have created an automaton, Frankenstein creates his monster.
I wanted to get in a similar headspace for a character I was playing; someone who was firmly committed to modern scientific methodology but still enthralled by what old "knowledge" promises. This book was certainly useful in that regard—for all that he often admits his subjects to be charlatans with exaggerated legends, he is nevetheless not the most critical of biographers. As expected from a famed occultist like Waite, he believes that historical alchemists have achieved the Magnum Opus multiple times throughout history. The faux-skeptical hagiographies of so many characters can be quite interesting, and makes this an interesting historical artifact for historiographers of the occult.
That said, its status as a historical artifact makes it hard to recommend for all but the most niche purposes. While an impressively expansive book, it is hardly a reliable scholastic resource. And though the biographies recounted can be entertaining in isolation, they quickly can become mind-numbing as the familiar legend of the traveling alchemist becomes repeated again and again in different figures. It's final entry, a lengthy recounting of the legends of Joseph Basalmo (aka Count Cagliostro) was a well-chosen figure to end on, as the reader is left remembering the intrigues of his story and not the repetitiveness of the dozens beforehand.