The medieval period is often seen as an age of superstition. This study challenges this assumption, offering students a varied collection of documents--many of which appear in English for the first time--surveying what people throughout Europe actually thought and believed about the occult sciences at the time. The various branches of magic, divination, astrology and alchemy which helped people to make sense of their world are presented through translated extracts from religious, legal, medical and scientific documents.

Traces the history of alchemy from its earliest roots through to its influence in modern-day science.