The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story

by Janet Gleeson

Hardcover, 1999

Status

Available

Call number

738.092243214

Genres

Collection

Gifts

Publication

Grand Central Pub (1999), 324 pages

Description

An extraordinary episode in cultural & scientific history comes to life in the fascinating story of a genius, greed, & exquisite beauty revealed by the obsessive pursuit of the secret formula for one of the most precious commodities of eighteenth century European royalty-fine porcelain.

User reviews

LibraryThing member hganshorn

This is a fascinating work of history that reads like fiction. Johann Frederick Bottger is a 19-year-old alchemist who boasts that he has discovered the Arcanum, the secret formula for transforming base metals into gold. His boasts get him into trouble when he is imprisoned by Augustus the Strong,

king of Poland. Augustus is in debt, and threatens to keep Bottger imprisoned until he creates some gold, which of course he cannot do.

Luckily for Bottger, he succeeds in discovering something just as valuable: the formula for making porcelain. Until this point, porcelain has been made in China, and the Chinese have kept their closely guarded secret for centuries. Bottger's discovery will alter international trade, and enrich his king.

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LibraryThing member susan139

The true story told in a fictionalised way of the invention of "White Gold", or porcelain in Europe.

LibraryThing member noonwitch

I didn't realize that porclein was such a big deal! We kind of take it for granted. This is a fascinating account of politics and science.

LibraryThing member Kellswitch

This is one of my favorite history books. It was the first one for me that really made it click how interconnected things are, that events in history and in an area rarely happen on thier own and only influence the people directly involved.

The writting was very approachable and easy to read but I

still felt I was given a lot of information and insight and the people involved felt real to me, not flat and one dimensionable.

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LibraryThing member ChiaraBeth

Surprisingly riveting and entirely engrossing. I found her writing style easy to read and her detailed descriptions rich enough to make it seem like I was reading fiction rather than non. Though I read it several years ago, it's a book that has stayed with me, and I recommend it whenever a friend

mentions they like nonfiction narratives. The only negative thing I have to say, and it's hardly a fault of the writer, is that the three main characters all being Johann's can lead to a bit of confusion at times!

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LibraryThing member NielsenGW

An arcanum is any deep, secret wisdom. In 18th century Europe, this meant either the philosopher's stone, which would turn any base metal into gold, or on a lesser note, the secret to re-creating the beautiful porcelain objects imported from China and Japan. Janet Gleeson follows the lives of the

master arcanists and modellers of the Meissen porcelain factory, the first working manufacture of its kind in Europe. On the whole, the story is interesting, but Gleeson tries a bit too hard to make it dramatic and riveting. The book also needed illustrations of both the process and the products of the factory. All in all, not a bad read.

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LibraryThing member Mouldywarp

Extremely well written and an engrossing tale. Although I have no particular interest in porcelain or its history, this book kept me entertained and interested throughout.

LibraryThing member Mrs_McGreevy

Did you know that for centuries, only Asian countries knew the secret of creating porcelain? Neither did I, until I happened upon Janet Gleeson’s The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story. Gleeson’s book tells the story of a self-proclaimed alchemist who convinced a king that he could turn lead

into gold. Unable to duplicate his initial “success,” the alchemist was imprisoned until such time as he made good on his claims. He was never able to turn lead into gold, but he did stumble upon the recipe for porcelain. The kicker is that he never really got out of prison—although happy to profit from the sudden fashion for porcelain, the king never forgave the erstwhile alchemist for not turning lead into gold.

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LibraryThing member johnwbeha

Two non-fiction books in a row and both of them dealing with subjects I knew nothing about; this one about the creation of European Porcelain in Meissen and Dresden. I enjoyed this book and found the subject fascinating, but I was never really drawn into the book or engaged with its characters.

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