Alchemical Poetry, 1575-1700: From Previously Unpublished Manuscripts

Presents the first publication of 14 poems ranging from 12 to 3,000 lines. The poems are printed in the chronological order of their composition, from Elizabethan to Augustan times, but nine of them are verse translations of works from earlier periods in the development of alchemy. Each has a textual and historical introduction and explanatory notes. A general introduction discusses the contexts of alchemical poetry--historical, scientific, and literary--and provides a rationale for the study of this heretofore neglected genre. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR