The aspiring adept
Lawrence Principe · 1998 · 339 pages
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some book links are affiliate links; you pay the same price and we may earn a small commission.
About this book
The Aspiring Adept presents a provocative new view of Robert Boyle (1627-1691), one of the leading figures of the Scientific Revolution, by revealing for the first time his avid and lifelong pursuit of alchemy. Boyle has traditionally been considered, along with Newton, a founder of modern science because of his mechanical philosophy and his experimentation with the air-pump and other early scientific apparatus. However, Lawrence Principe shows that his alchemical quest - hidden first by Boyle's own codes and secrecy, and later suppressed or ignored - positions him more accurately in the intellectual and cultural crossroads of the seventeenth century.
Appears in these reading paths
Best Books on Alchemy and the History of Chemistry, in Order
Related reading guides
Reader reviews
Ratings and notes from readers — tagged with how deep into the subject they were.
Loading reviews…