Alchemy: 18th cent.

Collection of notes on the bibliography and history of Alchemy: with copious extracts from Alchemical writings of all periods: in Latin, German, French, and English. By several compilers. This MS. is an exhaustive compilation, probably by an English alchemist and his friends. It shows a remarkable knowledge of alchemical history and literature in the four languages. After selections from various authors, historical and bibliographical notes, accounts of transmutations, etc., the work contains extracts giving various descriptions of the stone, with a long section on 'Particularia'. This is followed by various excerpts from alchemical writings, records of alchemical processes, etc., from the earliest times to about 1777: this appears to be the latest date given (p. 182).

c. 1775

1 volume 545 pp. + 13 ll. (first & last bl.). folio. 32 x 211/2 cm. 19th cent. quarter-calf binding. Some leaves are of slightly smaller folio size.

Purchased 1935.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).

The MS. is from the Library of Julius Kohn, and an envelope addressed to him, postmarked 29 September 1904, has now been pasted inside the upper cover: it was found loose in the volume.