Book description
This edition does not include illustrations.
A spellbinding portrait of Queen Elizabeth’s conjuror - the great
philosopher, scientist and magician, Dr John Dee (1527-1608) and a
history of Renaissance science that could well be the next ‘Longitude’.
John Dee was one of the most influential philosophers of the Elizabethan
Age. A close confidant of Queen Elizabeth, he helped to introduce
mathematics to England, promoted the idea of maths as the basis of
science, anticipated the invention of the telescope, charted the New
World, and created one of the most magnificent libraries in Europe. At
the height of his fame, Dee was poised to become one of the greats of
the Renaissance. Yet he died in poverty and obscurity - his crime was to
dabble in magic.
Based on Dee’s secret diaries which record in fine detail his
experiments with the occult, Woolley’s bestselling book is a rich brew
of Elizabethan court intrigue, science, intellectual exploration,
discovery and misfortune. And it tells the story of one man’s epic but
very personal struggle to come to terms with the fundamental dichotomy
of the scientific age at the point it arose: the choice between ancient
wisdom and modern science as the path to truth. ‘Fresh and
original...Woolley thinks and writes beautifully. This is a
distinguished and rather brilliant book - it’s also a rattling good
story.’ Lisa Jardine
‘A fascinating, brilliant account of the Renaissance world picture...’
Kathryn Hughes, New Statesman
‘Woolley handsomely captures a society torn between rationality and
romance, cynicism and hero worship.’ New Scientist
‘An informative and enlightening book. It offers concise and lucid
explanations of Dee’s more abstruse and arcane theories. And it is
immensely enjoyable, its narrative exciting and inexorable. I have not
read as stimulating a study of the Elizabethan period since Charles
Nicholl’s book on Marlowe, “The Reckoning”.’ Thomas Wright, Daily Telegraph
Praise for ‘The Herbalist’:
‘The research is superb - rich, detailed, and original - and the lives
Benjamin Woolley describes are as passionate as the great events of the
English Civil War around which they orbit.’ Adam Nicolson Benjamin
Woolley is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. He is the author of
the best-selling The Queen's Conjuror: The Life and Magic of Dr John
Dee. His first book, Virtual Worlds was short-listed for the
Rhone-Poulenc prize and has been translated into eight languages. His
second, ‘The Bride of Science’, examined the life of Ada Lovelace, Lord
Byron's daughter. He has written and presented documentaries for the BBC
on subjects ranging from the fight for liberty during the English Civil
War to the end of the Space Age. He has won the Arts Journalist of the
Year award and an Emmy for his commentary for Discovery's 'Three Minutes
to Impact'. He lives in London.
