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Shortlisted for The Whitfield Book Prize
Medicine and Magic in Elizabethan London
Simon Forman: Astrologer, Alchemist, and Physician
Lauren Kassell
300 pages
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numerous halftones
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234x156mm
978-0-19-927905-0
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Hardback
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07 April 2005
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This item is printed to order. Items which are printed to order are normally despatched and charged within 5-10 days.
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- Fascinating insights into the world of the notorious Elizabethan astrologer, Simon Forman
- Provides a window on to the world of magic and medicine in Elizabethan London
- First full scholarly study of Forman and his writings
Simon Forman (1552-1611) is one of London's most infamous astrologers. He stood apart from the medical elite because he was not formally educated and because he represented, and boldly asserted, medical ideas that were antithetical to those held by most learned physicians. He survived the plague, was consulted thousands of times a year for medical and other questions, distilled strong waters made from beer, herbs, and sometimes chemical ingredients, pursued the philosopher's stone in experiments and ancient texts, and when he was fortunate spoke with angels. He wrote compulsively, documenting his life and protesting his expertise in thousands of pages of notes and
treatises. This highly readable book provides the first full account of Forman's papers, makes sense of his notorious reputation, and vividly recovers the world of medicine and magic in Elizabethan London.Readership: Scholars and students of early modern social history; historians of science and medicine; readers of biography and those interested in astrology.
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Lauren Kassell, University Lecturer, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge and Fellow of Pembroke College
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"Kassell has succeeded in transcending Forman's eccentricities and reconstructing an image of the astrologer-physician of Lambeth worthy of consideration alongside renowned contemporaries like John Dee and William Lilly" - Celeste Chamberland, Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft "The statistical analyses of Forman's patients Kassell draws from the manuscripts are very revealing and valuable, and among some of the most important and useful features of her book." - Lawrence M. Principe "the second, and best, book on Simon Forman to appear recently...its great strength is that it takes us through all the different aspects of Forman's work, providing many fascinating insights into the work...and the mind of an
uneducated but remarkable thinker" - John Henry, EHR, cxxi. 494 "Kassell's close study of Forman's writings, sensitivity to context, and wide familiarity with his sources and contemporaries has paid dividends with a rich sense of Forman's person and activities, and their relation to the world." - Nicholas Clulee, Renaissance Quarterly "this book offers new insights into the magical milieu and Elizabethan London. s" "a delight to read... This is an exceptional study, absorbing and solidly grounded." - THES "Kassell does make good on her promise to scrutinize Forman's manuscripts, recover his own voice, and firmly contextualize his writings and practices. She offers detailed accounts of the philosophy
and practice of a medical astrologer" - Mordechai Feingold, Huntington Library Quarterly "[a] careful analysis" - Times Literary Supplement "...fascinating...Kassell's engagement with this level of detail is praiseworthy and gives a real sense of Forman's experience." - History Workshop Journal, Issue 64
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Introduction
Part 1: The Making of an Astrologer Physician
1: Early Life and Learning
2: Astronomy, Magic, and the Mathematical Practitioners of London
3: How to Write Like a Magus
Part 2: Plague and the College of Physicians of London
4: The College of Physicians and Irregular Medicine c.1580-1640
5: Plague and Paracelsianism
Part 3: The Casebooks
6: How to Read the Casebooks
7: Gender, Authority, and Astrology
Part 4: Alchemy, Magic, and Medicine
8: 'Of Cako', or the Medical Uses of Antimony
9: The Food of Angels
10: Magic and Medicine
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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