Book of Distillation
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Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks No. 32 Book of Distillation: The First Book
Edited with an Introduction and the woodcuts coloured by Adam McLean.
Hieronymus Braunschweig's famous Liber de arte destillandi, printed in 1500, was the earliest printed work on distillation and became very popular. It was the result of many years of work with distillations, and Braunschweig wanted to share his knowledge with the wider public. The book is divided into three parts: the first part deals with the apparatus needed and the various techniques used in distilling; the second part is a repertory of plants in alphabetical order, with descriptions of these plants, the methods of making distillations from them, and their uses in medicine; the third part builds on the second by presenting information about the herbs under the diseases to which they should be applied.
In this edition, Adam McLean transcribed the first part of the work and coloured the famous woodcuts.
This book was extremely influential and helped establish the craft of distillation, which was the basis of the emerging chemical industry. It is likely that many alchemists read this book on distillation. The simple woodcuts of apparatus were widely copied in later books, and this work had a significant impact on the practice of alchemy during the sixteenth century.
Date Published: 2006
Page number: 48
Cover Type: Handbound leather hardback A5
Illustration: Coloured woodcuts
Edition: Limited
Signed by: Adam McLean
