Why not 5 stars?



For two reasons:



1) Alchemy (The Weiser Concise Guide Series) by Brian Cotnoir is a better introduction, although, wisely, it contains little about the "Great Work".



2) The author, Frater Albertus, includes theosophistic (source: Mme H. P. Blavatsky et al) confusion like the notion of literal "re-incarnation", something of a "New Age" dogma but, alas, an erroneous 19th century amalgamation of the two traditional doctrines of metemphychosis and transmigration.



The last sections of the book, beginning with Chapter VII, "Wisdom of the Sages", are NOT superfluous but on the contrary contain several strong hints and useful warnings about certain materials and processes of the Great Work.



The section "Alchemy and Philosophy" in the Conclusion is truly outstanding, showing how some of the theories of modern chemistry can be usefully, harmoniously and seamlessly integrated into the traditional framework of hermetic philosophy and alchemy.