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The Last Alchemist: Count Cagliostro, Master of Magic in the Age of Reason

by Iain McCalman

The Last Alchemist: Count Cagliostro, Master of Magic in the Age of Reason Cover

ISBN13: 9780060006907
ISBN10: 0060006900
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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From the Library of Anne Rice

From the Library of Anne Rice This copy is from the personal library of the legendary author. View the entire collection here.

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [247]-272).

Synopsis:

Who was Count Cagliostro? Depending on whom you ask, he was either a great healer and mystic or a dangerous charlatan whose revolutionary notions and influences threatened to undermine the monarchies of France and Russia. Whatever else he was, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, the leader of an exotic brand of freemasonry, was indisputably one of the most visible and influential men of the later 18th century, overcoming poverty and an ignoble birth to become the darling — and bane — of upper-crust Europe.

He was a muse to William Blake and the inspiration for Mozart's The Magic Flute and Goethe's Faust. Catherine the Great chased him out of Russia; Louis XVI had him thrown in the Bastille for the alleged theft of Marie Antoinette's diamond necklace; and he was arrested for heresy by the Inquisition. He spent the last five years of his life in solitary confinement in an Italian prison, where he died in 1795. Here is the compelling story of this often overlooked, yet unforgettable man.

Synopsis:

Who was Count Cagliostro? He was either a great healer and mystic or a dangerous charlatan. Whatever else he was, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, the leader of an exotic brand of freemasonry, was one of the most influential men of the 18th century, overcoming poverty and an ignoble birth to become the darling--and bane--of upper-crust Europe.
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About the Author

Iain McCalman is the director of the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University, an internationally renowned cultural historian, and the author-editor of seven scholarly works, including the widely acclaimed Radical Underground: Prophets, Revolutionaries and Pornographers in London, 1795?1840 and, most recently, An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age. He has recently been awarded the prestigious Federation Fellowship and lives in Australia.

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Kirsten, August 17, 2006 (view all comments by Kirsten)
MacCalman, who makes no bones about his fascination with Giuseppe Balsamo, AKA Count Cagliostro, has crafted a fascinating biography that has all the pacing and suspense of a good novel. Cagliostro has been an enigma since he first gained celebrity in 18th century Europe. He was a charlatan, a greedy swindler, a lech, and he had an ego to put Rush Limbaugh to shame. He was also a surprisingly astute healer who freely shared his nostrums and knowledge of healing with the poor, and who frequently made eerily accurate prophesies. Together with his beautiful wife Seraphina, he became embroiled in just about every secret society and conspiracy theory the 18th century had to offer. MacCalman manages to give a historically factual portrait of the man behind the myth without completely dispelling the romance and intrigue surrounding him. He was an odious man, and Seraphina was little better, but upon finishing this book I still found myself fascinated and not a little awed by his achievements.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780060006907
Subtitle:
Count Cagliostro, Master of Magic in the Age of Reason
Author:
McCalman, Iain
Publisher:
Harper
Location:
New York
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Europe
Subject:
Modern - 18th Century
Subject:
Occultists
Copyright:
2003
Edition Number:
1st ed.
Edition Description:
Hardcover
Series Volume:
2001]
Publication Date:
20030603
Binding:
Hardback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
288
Dimensions:
9 x 6 x 1.04121 in 20.08 oz
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The Last Alchemist: Count Cagliostro, Master of Magic in the Age of Reason Used Hardcover
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Product details 288 pages HarperCollins Publishers - English 9780060006907 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , Who was Count Cagliostro? Depending on whom you ask, he was either a great healer and mystic or a dangerous charlatan whose revolutionary notions and influences threatened to undermine the monarchies of France and Russia. Whatever else he was, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, the leader of an exotic brand of freemasonry, was indisputably one of the most visible and influential men of the later 18th century, overcoming poverty and an ignoble birth to become the darling — and bane — of upper-crust Europe.

He was a muse to William Blake and the inspiration for Mozart's The Magic Flute and Goethe's Faust. Catherine the Great chased him out of Russia; Louis XVI had him thrown in the Bastille for the alleged theft of Marie Antoinette's diamond necklace; and he was arrested for heresy by the Inquisition. He spent the last five years of his life in solitary confinement in an Italian prison, where he died in 1795. Here is the compelling story of this often overlooked, yet unforgettable man.

"Synopsis" by , Who was Count Cagliostro? He was either a great healer and mystic or a dangerous charlatan. Whatever else he was, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, the leader of an exotic brand of freemasonry, was one of the most influential men of the 18th century, overcoming poverty and an ignoble birth to become the darling--and bane--of upper-crust Europe.
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