Alchemie und Mystik (review)

Abstract

348 Short Notices the concepts of contagion and disease causation to Martin's argument and the complex and varied meanings the term 'contagion' could have in the Renaissance context. Despite this, Plague? is a worthy and interesting examination of the experience of epidemic disease from the perspective of a particular group in sixteenth-century society. The excerpts from Martin's sources offer tantalising glimpses for those interested in the h u m a n dimension of the experience of disease in the Renaissance. Katrina Ford Department of History Victoria University of Wellington Roob, Alexander, Alchemie und Mystik (Das Hermetische Muse Koln, Taschen, 1996; paper; pp. 703; c. 700 colour and b/w illustrations; R.R.P. DM39.95. Alchemy has been described variously as a forerunner of c physics and metaphysics, as a philosophy which incorporates elements of mysticism, symbolism and psychology, and as a source of ideas which shaped the world views of many writers, artists and musicians. All those facets of alchemy are present in this book which consists of a huge number of illustrations with commentary and quotations from many sources, ranging from the eighth century B.C. up to the present day. For many years author and painter Alexander Roob has assembled a vast archive of pictures, illustrations and texts on and connected with William Blake, and out of this collection came this book. The beautiful reproductions are of excellent quality, many in colour, from various texts on alchemy or mysticism as well as Short Notices 349 other sources, with illustrations from Hildegard of Bingen's visions right up to the twentieth century, including a curious photograph of two modern day alchemists collecting dew. The illustrations are organised into four major sections: Macrocosm, Opus M a g n u m , Microcosm and, curiously, Rotation, and subdivided into smaller or larger chapters on specific areas within the above sections. Macrocosm treats astronomy; the Opus Magnum demonstrates the alchemists' work and discusses a number of topics such as light and darkness, the kabbalah, freemasonry, rosicrucianism, theosophy, and the significance of fire, blood and even children's games; Microcosm moves from the 'human form divine' to signatures, writing, and apparitions; while Rotation looks at various aspects of the wheel. The choice of topics and sections seems rather arbitrary and often jumps from one item to the next without obvious connection. This reviewer's copy w a s missing pages 17-32. This is especially unfortunate as those pages contain most of the introduction which m a y contain an explanation for the organisation of the work. As it is, the selection of illustrations, while fascinating, seems somewhat chaotic and confusing. Commentary and quotations are mostly illustrative rather than instructional. Equally annoying is the fact that the book has no index—it is practically impossible to find any specific illustration or quotation or tofindout whether a specific text is represented. Thus the book is a fascinating collection which is wonderful for browsing but not a systematic text for beginners to alchemy and mysticism. The book is also available in English (Taschen, M a y 1997). Monika Smith ...