Alchemy, the Ancient Science - Neil Powell [pdf]

While dated - the volume is part of a set on the occult published by Doubleday in 1976 - the information contained within is accurate and timely. Moreover, the work contains many exquisite illustrations/reproductions, making it a visually appealing source.

Contents:
1. The Meaning of Alchemy: The basic ideas and processes of the traditional alchemists.
2. The Principles of Alchemy: The theoretical background to the work that the alchemists carried out.
3. Two Mysterious Frenchmen: Flamel, a medieval alchemist, and Fulcanelli, a modern writer on alchemy.
4. The Medieval Masters: Mysterious figures, half-veiled in legend, of alchemy's great period.
5. The Wandering Alchemists: The masters who traveled from city to city contacting other adepts.
6. What Happened to Alchemy? The changes that occurred in alchemy as the infant sciences developed.
7. Sex and Symbolism: The course of Eastern alchemy, and how it influenced alchemy in the West.
8. Alchemy Lives On: The practice of alchemy in the 20th century.