A commentary on the Mutus Liber, Adam McLean

A commentary on the Mutus Liber, Adam McLean

The 15 plates of the Mutus Liber - the 'Mute Book' - are well known, and this book without words is recognized as a classic of the 17th-century alchemical tradition. Although the engravings seem to outline an alchemical process in detail, their message is not immediately obvious and it really requires a commentary to make it intelligible to the present-day reader. Adam McLean's extensive commentary on this series of engravings reveals the Mutus Liber as a synthesis of spiritual, soul, and physical alchemy. While the entire secret of the physical process is not fully revealed in the plates, enough information is given to piece together details of a modus operandi; indeed, modern French alchemists like Canseliet and Barbault have found great inspiration and hints relating to the physical work in the Mutus Liber.

As one of the most significant documents of the alchemical tradition, this edition of the Mutus Liber will be appreciated by all students of the Hermetic tradition, for Adam McLean's fascinating and insightful commentary throws a penetrating light on both the spiritual and physical dimensions of the Great Work. 

Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks, Series Editor: Adam McLean

The Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks series is a long-term publishing project which aims to make available, in a uniform series, some of the most important texts of the Hermetic tradition which have previously been unavailable except in special collections and libraries. The cream of Hermetic material is included in this series, drawing from texts on occult and magical symbolism, and important alchemical, Rosicrucian, mystical and allegorical material of the 16th and early 17th centuries. These are not merely reprints of early books, but new translations of original Latin or German texts with extensive commentary and historical notes.

• Paperback 
• ISBN: 9780933999909
• Condition: Very Good 
  
• Publisher: Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks
• Over 35 illustrations