The Age of Alchemy (Hardback)

The Age of Alchemy (Hardback)

WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY PRIZE: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry

Kit Chapman

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Reach through time and across continents to see the history of chemistry as it's never been told

WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2026

'Glittering' PHILIP BALL

'Superb' TIM MINSHALL

'A globetrotting, time-travelling account of the roots of chemistry' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

The first chemists were Sri Lankan forgers who crafted unimaginably strong steel millennia before it should have been possible. They were alchemists in Roman Egypt, who designed apparatus still in use today. They were Stone Age leatherworkers, Tang Dynasty herbalists and Mayan stoneworkers.

The Enlightenment is usually credited with the origins of chemistry, but in truth, the science blossomed gradually. As early innovators distilled, smelted, forged and fermented their way through the centuries, they blurred science and mysticism in search of answers to life's greatest mysteries.

Join Kit Chapman on a global quest to achieve immortality, cure all disease and transmute lead into gold as he reveals the illuminating stories of how the alchemists first broke new ground and shaped the scientific method.

Publication date: April 30, 2026

£22.00

ISBN: 9781805221159

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Science & Mathematics

The Age of Alchemy (Accessible EPUBAccessible EPUB)

The Age of Alchemy (Ebook)

WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY PRIZE: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry

Kit Chapman

Buy from

Amazon Bookshop.org Kobo Apple Books

Reach through time and across continents to see the history of chemistry as it's never been told

WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2026

'Glittering' PHILIP BALL

'Superb' TIM MINSHALL

'A globetrotting, time-travelling account of the roots of chemistry' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

The first chemists were Sri Lankan forgers who crafted unimaginably strong steel millennia before it should have been possible. They were alchemists in Roman Egypt, who designed apparatus still in use today. They were Stone Age leatherworkers, Tang Dynasty herbalists and Mayan stoneworkers.

The Enlightenment is usually credited with the origins of chemistry, but in truth, the science blossomed gradually. As early innovators distilled, smelted, forged and fermented their way through the centuries, they blurred science and mysticism in search of answers to life's greatest mysteries.

Join Kit Chapman on a global quest to achieve immortality, cure all disease and transmute lead into gold as he reveals the illuminating stories of how the alchemists first broke new ground and shaped the scientific method.

Publication date: April 30, 2026

£16.99

ISBN: 9781805221173

ISBN 10 / ASIN: B0FLLSSJFD

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Science & Mathematics

The Age of Alchemy (Hardback)

The Age of Alchemy (Audiobook)

WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY PRIZE: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry

Kit Chapman

Buy from

Audible Amazon Bookshop.org Kobo Apple Books

Reach through time and across continents to see the history of chemistry as it's never been told

WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2026

'Glittering' PHILIP BALL

'Superb' TIM MINSHALL

'A globetrotting, time-travelling account of the roots of chemistry' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

The first chemists were Sri Lankan forgers who crafted unimaginably strong steel millennia before it should have been possible. They were alchemists in Roman Egypt, who designed apparatus still in use today. They were Stone Age leatherworkers, Tang Dynasty herbalists and Mayan stoneworkers.

The Enlightenment is usually credited with the origins of chemistry, but in truth, the science blossomed gradually. As early innovators distilled, smelted, forged and fermented their way through the centuries, they blurred science and mysticism in search of answers to life's greatest mysteries.

Join Kit Chapman on a global quest to achieve immortality, cure all disease and transmute lead into gold as he reveals the illuminating stories of how the alchemists first broke new ground and shaped the scientific method.

Publication date: April 30, 2026

£24.99

ISBN: 9781806490035

ISBN 10 / ASIN: B0G6578QFH

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Science & Mathematics

Read by: Luke R Francis

Reviews for The Age of Alchemy

'Hugely entertaining ... a globetrotting, time-travelling account of the roots of chemistry'

Patricia Fara BBC History Magazine

'At last alchemy has an entertaining and accessible introduction to match the colourful lives of its practitioners. With Kit Chapman as our guide, we discover the global reach of the alchemists and come to a new appreciation of the work that laid the foundations for modern chemistry. Timely and essential, this is great storytelling.'

Hugh Aldersey-Williams, bestselling author of THE PERIODIC TALES 

'Fascinating... argues that alchemists and early experiments, were not a wrong turn off the road to modern scientific method, but an essential part of the journey'

Tom Sutcliffe BBC Start the Week

'A rollickingly ambitious piece of science history writing that could have a huge impact in shaping who scientists are in the future'

Subhadra Das, author of UNCIVILISED 

'This is my favourite sort of book, one that effortlessly blends science, global history, travel and human stories to fascinate and delight. Chapman is an expert storyteller who takes us through time and space to unravel the mysteries of the past'

Roma Agrawal, author of NUTS & BOLTS 

'A thoroughly interesting read, enlightening us on how chemistry as we know it is built on the contributions of so many human beings throughout history'

Eshaan Akbar 

'The most enjoyable introduction to alchemy I have ever read. In The Age of Alchemy, Kit Chapman has transmuted a ponderous mass of painstaking research into a glittering confection of science and history'

Phil Ball, author of HOW LIFE WORKS 

'A wonderfully eclectic book'

Mike Benton FRS 

'Kit Chapman's book delivers a surprise on almost every page. Each chapter delivers a beautiful summary of the long and fascinating journey through millennia from the magical to the scientific - via alchemy, gunpowder, tea and much more! Kit is a superb tour guide for this journey, linking places, people, time and knowledge in such an accessible and engaging manner'

Tim Minshall, author of YOUR LIFE IS MANUFACTURED 

'This history of pre-Enlightenment chemistry is a properly global look at tomb raiders and emperors and others who created recipes involving sulphur, lime and the urine of a small child'

James Tapper Observer

'Brilliant'

Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu, author of CHAIN REACTION 

'Kit Chapman has gone deep into the arcane back-alleys of alchemy and come back with a vibrant cast of prophets, heroes, martyrs and geniuses. In doing so, he helps restore alchemy to its rightful place, central to the development of the scientific tradition'

Philip Marsden, author of UNDER A METAL SKY 

'Dazzling. A fun, globetrotting read that balances great storytelling with science'

Irenosen Okojie MBE FRSL and 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize Judge 

'A gorgeous delight'

Marnie Chesterton, 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize Judge 

'His book looks at the history of alchemy as an essential precursor to the creation of modern chemistry. It is at once a wonderfully entertaining globe-trotting narrative in the present day, as well as being comprised of completely fascinating case studies throughout history, all driven by the author's insatiable excitement and enthusiasm for its subject matter and his appreciation of a good story'

 Irish Times

'A fascinating account of the history of alchemy and how it eventually morphed into the science of chemistry. Very well written and very readable - make sure you read the pithy and entertaining footnotes! A copy of this book should be on every chemist's bookshelf'

Penny Le Couteur, author of NAPOLEON'S BUTTONS 

'A delightful, rigorous, and compelling history offering an exciting new model for writing the history of science'

 Kirkus Reviews

'Fascinating stuff .. this romp through the history of alchemy takes as its focal point how the traditions and writings of craftsmen, physicians, charlatans and 'professors of secrets' shaped modern chemistry ... an accessible book that's stacked with intriguing asides and stories - like Mary 'the Jewess', Paracelsus, Ibn Sina and Jabir from the Islamic Golden Age'

Sophie Charara, 10 mind-expanding non-fiction books for Spring Shortlist

'While we might think of chemistry as something that began in the European Renaissance, our Stone Age ancestors were the first pioneers of this scientific field. The book explores our early forays into metallurgy, medical potion-making and even attempts at making gold by processing vast quantities of urine'

 i paper

'An awe-inspiring history of a critical scientific discipline'

 Publishers Weekly

'A whirlwind tour of the chemical arts ... [Chapman] brings lesser-known figures into play ... illuminating his historical case studies with lucid accounts of the underlying science ... This is a very engaging read'

Jennifer M. Rampling, Associate Professor, Princeton University Nature Journal

'PRAISE FOR KIT CHAPMAN'

 :

'This deeply researched and engaging tour of the nether reaches of the periodic table will delight and inform everyone'

Philip Ball 

'With meticulous attention to detail and careful research, Chapman masterfully captures the excitement, politics and competition of the transuranic elements'

Jess Wade 

'Chapman writes engagingly about the benefits motor racing has brought to a climate problem that needs all hands on the wheel'

 Financial Times

'With meticulous attention to detail and careful research, Chapman masterfully captures the excitement, politics and competition of the transuranic elements. Chapman's energy and enthusiasm is evident in every interaction, whether he is uncovering elaborate experimental details or unearthing scientific rivalries'

Jess Wade 

'Making elements that don't exist in nature is one of the craziest, most painstaking and bold pursuits in all of science, and Superheavy tells that story for the first time, with wit and verve. This deeply researched and engaging tour of the nether reaches of the periodic table will delight and inform everyone from the expert to the reader with only the dimmest memory of the iconic chart of chemical elements on the school lab wall'

Philip Ball 

Kit Chapman

Kit Chapman

Kit Chapman is an award-winning journalist and adventurer. With more than a decade of experience writing for titles such as Nature, New Scientist, Chemistry World and the Daily Telegraph, his work has taken him to more than 75 countries as he seeks amazing tales from the cutting edge of science. Kit has a PhD in the history of science from the University of Sunderland, is a lecturer at Falmouth University and a contributor to Formula One's F1 Global Exhibition.