A Secret Alchemy

Two murdered princes; a powerful queen betrayed; a nobleman riding towards his certain death... The story of the Princes in the Tower has been one of the most fascinating - and most brutal - murder mysteries in history for more than five hundred years. In a brilliant feat of historical daring, Emma Darwin has recreated the terrible, exhilarating world of the two youngest victims of the War of the Roses: the power struggles and passion that lay behind their birth, the danger into which they fell, the profoundly moving days before their imprisonment, and the ultimate betrayal of their innocence. In A Secret Alchemy, three voices speak: that of Elizabeth Woodville, the beautiful widow of King Edward IV; of her brother Anthony, surrogate father to the doomed Prince Edward and his brother Dickon; and that of present-day historian Una Pryor. Orphaned, and herself brought up in a family where secrets and rivalries threaten her world, Una's experience of tragedy, betrayal and lost love help her unlock the long-buried secrets that led to the princes' deaths. Weaving their stories together, Emma Darwin brilliantly evokes how the violence and glamour of past ages live on within our present.

The "Liber secretorum alchimie" is an attempt to introduce alchemy into Aristotle's science: manipulating metals, astronomy, astrology, geography and even theology are combined in these lecture notes taken by a 13th century medical student to make a fascinating review of themes which were hotly debated in medieval Italian university circles.

The cruel fate of the Princes in the Tower is one of the most fascinating—and most troubling—of all England's historical murder mysteries. But what was the truth behind the deaths of the young Edward V and his brother, Dickon, taken from their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, King Edward IV's beautiful widow, and their guardian, Anthony Woodville? And what about the man who would become King Richard III? In a brilliant feat of historical daring, the acclaimed author of The Mathematics of Love reimagines the tragedy of the youngest victims of the Wars of the Roses. Through the voices of Elizabeth, Anthony, and Una—a historian who herself knows grief, betrayal, and secret love—Emma Darwin re-creates the lethal power struggles into which the boys were born, their heart-wrenching imprisonment, and the ultimate betrayal of their innocence.

The Alchemist's Secret is a collection of eleven short stories penned by Isabel Cecilia Williams, each with a Catholic leitmotif, featuring priests, holy sisters, the deeds of contemplation, confession and tales of agony, death, and the consolation that can be found in the Lord. Excerpt: "On the outskirts of one of our large mill towns, at the very end of a narrow street lined on each side by a row of dwelling houses of the poorer class, stood a tiny cottage. It was a humble, unpretentious abode of only four rooms, but it was home to the weary girl struggling up the hillside. The tired eyes brightened and lagging steps quickened involuntarily as she turned the corner and saw the welcoming light streaming from the kitchen window."

Within these pages, the enigmatic language of symbolism unlocks the secrets of spiritual evolution, transcending the limitations of mundane expression. Revealing the essence of humanity's origin, this extraordinary book delves into the intricate mechanisms that shape our physical existence and the immutable laws that govern our being. Prepare to embark on a transformative journey that spans the realms of mind, body and spirit, illuminating the quest for knowledge and truth. Through the alchemical quest, the seeker embarks on a multidimensional odyssey that transcends the boundaries between the spiritual and the material. Witness the intricate dance of spiritual growth and tangible metamorphosis as the alchemical fires ignite profound change on every level of existence.