author
H. Stanley (Herbert Stanley) Redgrove
1887–1943
A chemist with a strong interest in mysticism and the history of ideas, this early 20th-century writer explored how alchemy, magic, and older systems of belief connected with modern scientific thought. His books remain appealing to readers curious about the borderlands between science, philosophy, and the occult.
2 Audiobooks
Bygone Beliefs: Being a Series of Excursions in the Byways of Thought
by H. Stanley (Herbert Stanley) Redgrove
Alchemy: Ancient and Modern Being a Brief Account of the Alchemistic Doctrines, and Their Relations, to Mysticism on the One Hand, and to Recent Discoveries in Physical Science on the Other Hand; Together with Some Particulars Regarding the Lives and Teachings of the Most Noted Alchemists
by H. Stanley (Herbert Stanley) Redgrove
About the author
Born in 1887 and died in 1943, Herbert Stanley Redgrove wrote on alchemy, magic, and the history of belief. Contemporary library and catalog records identify him both as a writer and a chemist, and some editions of his work list him as H. Stanley Redgrove, B.Sc. (Lond.), F.C.S.
He is best known for books such as Alchemy: Ancient and Modern and Bygone Beliefs. In these works, he did more than simply retell old legends: he tried to explain why earlier ways of thinking mattered, and how alchemical and mystical traditions related to the scientific ideas of his own time.
Redgrove also appears in bibliographic records as a botanical collector, which adds another interesting dimension to his career. Even with the limited biographical detail that survives online, his writing still stands out for making difficult, unusual subjects approachable to general readers.