The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science - Softcover

9780099457879: The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
Philip Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim - known to later ages as Paracelsus - stands on the borderline between medieval and modern; a name that is familiar but a man who has been hard to perceive or understand. Contemporary of Luther, enemy of established medicine, scourge of the universities ('at all the German schools you cannot learn as much as at the Frankfurt Fair'), army surgeon and alchemist, myths about him - from his treating diseases from beyond the grave in mid-nineteenth century Salzburg to his Faustian bargain with the devil to regain his youth - have been far more lasting than his actual story. Even during his lifetime, he was rumoured to travel with a magical white horse and to store the elixir of life in the pommel of his sword.

But who was Paracelsus and what did he really believe and practice? Although Paracelsus has been seen as both a charlatan and as a founder of modern science, Philip Ball's book reveals a more richly complex man - who used his eyes and ears to learn from nature how to heal, and who wrote influential books on medicine, surgery, alchemy and theology while living a drunken, combative, vagabond life. Above all, Ball reveals a man who was a product of his time - an age of great change in which the church was divided and the classics were rediscovered - and whose bringing together of the seemingly diverse disciplines of alchemy and biology signalled the beginning of the age of rationalism.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
"Praise for The Devil's Doctor
Brilliant... This prodigiously learned volume can only reinforce Ball's reputation as one of our most versatile and gripping science writers. John Carey" (Sunday Times)

"Stirring and fascinating reading... This is a remarkable piece of work, entertaining and edifying in a way in which so few biographies are. Niall Griffiths" (Telegraph)

"'This biography is a study of a culture as well as of a man, and in analysing the life and thought of Paracelsus, Ball brings to light a largely forgotten phase of human understanding. It is a considerable achievement.' Peter Ackroyd" (The Times)

"[A] wonderfully rich biography... Inspiring and important.'" (Guardian)

"Praise for Critical Mass:
'This is a wide-ranging and dazzlingly informed book. I can promise you'll be amazed.' Bill Bryson" (Daily Express)
From the Publisher:
The first 'life and times' in over forty years of one of the most fascinating figures of scientific history, by the winner of the 2005 Aventis Science Book Prize.

Brings to life the ferment of post-Reformation Europe, in the spirit of Frances Stonor Saunders' Hawkwood.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherArrow
  • Publication date2007
  • ISBN 10 0099457873
  • ISBN 13 9780099457879
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages448
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780374229795: The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus And the World of Renaissance Magic And Science

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780374229795
Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2006
Hardcover

  • 9780434011346: The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science

    Willia..., 2006
    Hardcover

  • 9780434014132: The Devil's Doctor - Paracelsus & The World Of Renaissance Magic & Science

    Heineman, 2006
    Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Ball, Philip
Published by Arrow Books (2007)
ISBN 10: 0099457873 ISBN 13: 9780099457879
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Wizard Books
(Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0099457873

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 54.45
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 2.77
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ball, Philip
Published by Cornerstone United Kingdom, (2007)
ISBN 10: 0099457873 ISBN 13: 9780099457879
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Front Cover Books
(Denver, CO, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0099457873

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 88.62
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.41
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ball, Philip
Published by Arrow Books (2007)
ISBN 10: 0099457873 ISBN 13: 9780099457879
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0099457873

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 95.97
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.17
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ball, Philip
Published by Arrow Books (2007)
ISBN 10: 0099457873 ISBN 13: 9780099457879
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0099457873

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 95.83
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.37
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ball, Philip
Published by Arrow Books (2007)
ISBN 10: 0099457873 ISBN 13: 9780099457879
New Paperback Quantity: 2
Seller:
Save With Sam
(North Miami, FL, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New!. Seller Inventory # VIB0099457873

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 99.39
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds