The Arcanum: Extraordinary True Story of the Invention of European Porcelain by Janet Gleeson
Description: Imprisoned in a fairy-tale castle and under constant threat of execution by his ruthless captor, an 18th century apothecary struggled to realize the alchemist’s dream. His name was Johann Frederick Bottger. But instead of transforming base metal into gold, he was to discover the formula for something even more exotic and elusive, a substance so precious it was known as ‘white gold’. And it was a formula for which others were prepared to lie, cheat, steal and even kill to possess.
This was the remarkable backdrop to one of the most strange and compelling episodes in European cultural and scientific history; a tale of genius and greed, of demonic cruelty and exquisite beauty, of the best and worst of which man is capable – it is the true story of the invention of European porcelain.
BookieMonster says: This is a good read in the “popular history” vein – full of interesting facts and stories of 18th century Europe. It starts as a story of alchemy – the search for the formula for turning base metal into gold, but transforms into a story of discovering a different kind of alchemy that did actually yield gold – in the form of the first European manufacture of porcelain.
With the large amounts of money involved the story quickly decends into a morass of betrayal, intrigue and many men (including royalty) behaving badly.
Recommended reading by BookieMonster, particularly if you have any kind of interest in European history or porcelain history. I also think the cover has a subtle beauty – it’s an eyecatcher!
Extra BookieMonster Blathery Goodness!
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