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Praxis Alchimiae by Libavius - Paul Ferguson - 09-22-2026
Praxis alchimiae" (Latin for "The Practice of Alchemy") is a seminal early modern textbook written by the German physician and chemist Andreas Libavius, published in Frankfurt in 1604.
Libavius is widely regarded as a founding father of modern chemical science. His works aimed to demystify the heavily veiled, secretive, and mystical language historically used by traditional alchemists. Instead, he championed an analytical approach and clear, practical instructions for chemical transformations.
The full title of the work is Praxis Alchymiæ, Hoc est, Doctrina de artificiosa præparatione præcipvorvm medicamentorum chymicorum duobus libris explicata. This translates to "The Practice of Alchemy, that is, the doctrine of the artificial preparation of the principal chemical medicines, explained in two books." It focused largely on iatrochemistry.
The Alchymiae Collection (digitized under identifier BIUSante_00180) is a rare-book archive featuring Andreas Libavius's foundational 1606 treatise Alchymiae, preserved and shared online by the Bibliothèque interuniversitaire de santé (BIU Santé) in Paris:
https://archive.org/details/BIUSante_00180
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