Best introductions to alchemy

[Paul Ferguson]

What book(s) would you recommend to an intelligent person with little or no knowledge of alchemy to give them a general idea of the subject?

[Adam McLean]

I always suggest that instead of buying a book, anyone wanting to see what alchemy is about should just spend some hours browsing my website, at no cost!
People often want a potted version, but alchemy is so diverse and multifaceted that a book is too limited.

[Paul Ferguson]

Agreed, but I was searching for a book recommendation.

[Adam McLean]

I find most modern books are written to present an 'alchemy' conforming to someone's agenda and ideology. One does not find what alchemy is about but rather merely explores the writer's preconceptions. I find many present-day writers on alchemy often to be poorly informed and not at all well-read in alchemical literature. Many authors rely on a small set of readily available alchemical works. So I hesitate to point people in their direction.

[Carl Lavoie]

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Back then, I thought that F. Sherwood Taylor's The Alchemists and E. J. Holmyard's Alchemy were relatively straightforward yet informed introductions to the subject, with seemingly no agenda to push, and both covering Greek and Chinese alchemy, and ‘The Alchemists of Islam'.
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[Adam McLean]

Yes, these works from before the explosion of books about alchemy, would be okay as introductions. Also John Read's 'Prelude to Chemistry'. That was one of my first encounters with alchemy.

[Paul Ferguson]

Holmyard's little book is at Scribd:

https://www.scribd.com/book/271539803/Alchemy