The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy: The Magic and Mystery of the Ancient Craft Revealed for Today (Complete Idiot's Guides) Paperback – April 1, 2008

I read this so long ago, but forgot to leave a review for it so I will do it now and try to recall it from memory. I really enjoyed this book. It is a very straightforward history on Alchemy, it's practices, and explains later in the book how alchemy can still be used to benefit our lives. I enjoy the idea of alchemy in the spiritual sense. You are constantly adding, taking away, and refining to get to that purest point. I didn't read the book for the material context of turning actual things into gold, so I couldn't speak much on that point. If you are like me though, and find this topic interesting, then this book is a great starting point.

Do not let the title fool you this book is not geared at idiots by any means but rather presents the basic concepts of alchemy in an easy to understand format that is by no means dumbed down. If you have ever been curious about the practice of alchemy or really desire a practical break down of its concepts then this book is a must read. Hauck, a published practicing, well respected modern day alchemist, provides enough basics to whet the knowledge hungry appetite without any insult to the intelligence. I really detest the titles for these series of books by calling them Idiot Guides or For Dummies because many of the books in this series are very well written no nonsense explanatory guides and do not indulge in the gobbledygook and jargon heavy lingo that has become the hallmark of much topic specific writing in this modern age

Did you know that much of alchemy is spiritual allegory? I found this book to be a fantastic beginning book for understanding alchemy. Alchemy is a Western spiritual practice. I recommend this book for all readers, particularly for people interested in preserving Western Civilization by finding the native philosophical and spiritual practices necessary to preserve the European people as a race and a culture worldwide. Each of us has a duty to distance ourselves from foreign influences such as Christianity/Judism/Islam, and to adopt, promote, and cherish our own wisdoms before all of it is lost. Please consider this as you pursue your individual spiritual paths.

Very very helpful. This book truly assisted my journey. We know everyone has a story and I must put mine in writing because an absolute mind blower it is. Thank goodness, I didn't give up.

This is one of the best-written books I have ever read, on any topic, and in any genre. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how this enhances the experience of attempting to engage seriously with the book's subject matter. In this day and age, there is no shortage of writing on any subject of which the human mind can conceive, but there is a tragic and painful (for me) shortage of new writings sufficiently coherent to enable a reader actually to grasp what the writer wishes to impart.Through impeccably direct and cohesive diction, and through careful engineering of paragraphs and chapters, author Hauck makes the esoteric subject matter of alchemy accessible, and turns it into a perfectly organized corpus.Good writing is not merely optional, for successful communication of abstract ideas; it is essential. What we have here is truly GREAT writing, with concomitant results.

This is a great book. Hauck has a clear, easy writing style, and he presents complex ideas in simple language so that alchemy seems approachable and straightforward to understand. Some of the key concepts from this book include:-The four elements-The three "essential" principles of mercury, sulphur, and salt-The seven planets and the seven planetary metals-The seven alchemical processes: Calcination, dissolution, separation, conjunction, fermentation, distillation, and coagulation-The three stages of the alchemical process-Applications of alchemy for psychological and spiritual growth-The connections of alchemy to herbal medicineThat's a fantastic primer, and covers just about all the information I could have hoped for in a 101 alchemy book. There are a few embarrassing factual goofs (e.g. he dates a lot of things to the medieval period that were in fact much later historically), but honestly I suspect that those are the result of the book having a generalist editor rather than a subject matter specialist. If you can read past them, they don't detract from the overall substance of the book.One thing that I felt was lacking from this book was a more thorough discussion of the seven alchemical processes as they apply to the planetary metals (rather than as a metaphor for personal development). Hauck does a great job of explaining the allegorical meaning of, for example, fermentation--but he doesn't say anything about how fermentation would work in a laboratory setting with the planetary metals, since a metal doesn't contain any organic matter and therefore can't be fermented in the ordinary sense of the word. Maybe the answer to this is too complicated for a beginner's book, or maybe he left it out because that kind of lab work can't be safely practiced without specialized equipment and training (and is therefore inaccessible to the beginner); either way, I would have appreciated at least a little bit more discussion about the alchemist's work with metals, since that's presented as such an important part of historical alchemy.On the whole, this is a strong primer in alchemy for the casual reader, and definitely worth the read.

I have always wondered just what alchemy was. Now I know it is a fascinating ancient, world wide, tradition that blends spirituality and laboratory practice into a very interesting view of nature and reality. I loved reading this. Very well written and fun to read.

Anyone who is interested learning about Alchemy this book is highly recommended. Since I started this book I haven't put it down yet.It really lays the foundation of alchemy in a person life... thumbs up to the author

I love how easy and full of information this book is filled with. I love it

An enjoyable and in depth read

This is an amazing book. So easy to understand and so many pointers and explanations for beginners. Great text and format.

I love this book

Fantastic introduction to the art. I doubt there's anything else which matches this and it is well put together - a total joy to read..!