[SOA] Alchemy online exhibit at the Lloyd Library and Museum

[Anna Heran]

Please excuse cross-posting.

 

The Lloyd Library and Museum proudly announces a new online exhibit.
The Magic and Myth of Alchemy
(http://www.lloydlibrary.org/exhibits/alchemy/index.html) was created in
honor of the International Year of Chemistry, an event celebrated by
chemists and chemistry associations throughout 2011.  While the Lloyd
does not hold the most ancient treatises from Asia or the Middle East,
the Lloyd holds a wealth of materials from the Early Modern and later
periods, along with translations and later editions of some of the
earlier volumes.  A quick search in the Lloyd's online catalog yields
approximately 140 titles pertaining to that topic in some fashion,
dating from 1544 to 2010. The collection includes the works of
Paracelsus, Maier, Glauber, Hermes Trismegistus, and that alchemist made
even more famous through a mention in the Harry Potter (tm) series,
Nicholas Flamel.

 

The alchemical works have been used for a variety of reasons, from the
inspiration for creating artwork to study by university students
pursuing the topic academically.  But, you might ask yourself, why would
a primarily medicinal botany library have such a sizeable collection of
alchemical volumes?  First, the collection is not only eclectic, but
also consists of many topics related to natural science and its history,
including chemistry.  Another reason for the alchemical resources
relates directly back to the library's founders and their many
interests.  John Uri Lloyd, in particular, did a great deal of chemical
research, taught chemistry, and invented his own cold still.  His
interest in chemistry and alchemy even extended to his fiction.  The
first novel John Uri Lloyd wrote, Etidorhpa, included references to
alchemical themes; and, upon examining many of these resources, one can
find notes written by him in the margins of several indicating his use
of these books while writing that novel. 

 

To learn more about the Lloyd Library and Museum, please visit
www.lloydlibrary.org.

 

 

Anna K Heran

Archivist/IT Specialist

Lloyd Library and Museum

917 Plum Street

Cincinnati, OH 45202

513/721-3707

archivist at lloydlibrary.org

Bringing Science, Art, and History to Life/

Because the Past is the Path to the Future

 

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