Description

In May 1653, alchemist William Backhouse entrusts royalist ‘intelligencer’ Elias Ashmole with the true secret of the Philosopher’s Stone. A saddler’s son, used to living on his wits and his genius, Ashmole begins a rise to fame and fortune. He will become the most knowledgeable man in England, founder member of the Royal Society, Windsor Herald, astrologer to the King, fosterer of science and inspiration to Isaac Newton. He will be remembered as the author of the most acclaimed book of his era and as the founder of the first purpose-built museum in the world. Revered as a Magus and a preserver of his country, Ashmole the code-maker remained an enigma to himself and a mystery to his (and our) age. This new biography follows Ashmole’s footsteps and examines the hidden springs and secret intelligence that made Elias Ashmole a great and “mighty good” man. Soft cover, 250 pages.