Product Description

This is a beautifully illustrated history of the role that the occult has played in the formation of modern science and medicine. Perfect for anyone interested in this subject, it will have a big impact on their understanding of the western esoteric tradition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #242094 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
'Zestful, stylish, full of suggestive ways forward, Yates's bold reassessment of Rosicrucianism is provoking, exhilarating and indispensable.' - Diarmaid MacCulloch, BBC History Magazine

From the Back Cover

‘Zestful, stylish, full of suggestive ways forward, Yates’ bold reassessment of Rosicrucianism is provoking, exhilarating and indispensable.’ – Diarmaid MacCulloch, BBC History Magazine

A history of the role that the occult has played in the formation of modern science and medicine, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment has had a tremendous impact on our understanding of the Western esoteric tradition. Beautifully illustrated, it remains one of those rare works of scholarship which the general reader simply cannot afford to ignore. First published: 1972.

About the Author
Dame Frances Yates (1899 - 1981). English scholar who brought about the revival of interest in the historical role of the occult sciences, demonstrating their link with the rise of modern science.

Customer Reviews

Historical Interpretation of Rosicrucianism
I bought this book after reading 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' as I wanted to learn more about the subject of Rosicrucianism. I wasn't disappointed. Yates manages to successfully explore the Rosicrucian movement in a cultural/historical context, examining a large body of source material (including both pictures and text) in order to attempt to trace the evolution of this secret organisation.
I would mention that this is not a book which focuses upon the supernatural mystique associated with the Knights Templar etc. so don't buy this if you're looking for myth and magic. It can be pretty hard-going at times, but if you want to understand and widen your interest in esoterica, then this is an essential title to have in your collection.

ACADEMIC YET ACCESSIBLE APPROACH TO A COMPLEX SUBJECT
Yates did a superb job writing about Giordano Bruno and has done the same with the Rosicrucians. It is an academic approach that is accessible and also enjoyable and hugely readable in spite of being quite complex: it is, after all, a very complex subject but Yates manages to take us on a learned and fascinating journey from the alchemists to Christian Rosencrutz. Yates is a historian and not an occultist and this academic rigor makes the difference.

Anyone interested in buying this book should be aware that it is a history book dealing with an esoteric subject and not an esoteric approach to a historical study.

Yates gives us a good insight into the political, religious and ideological motivations behind the rosicrucians.

Superb history that's as fun as a novel
This book got me thinking again. I picked it up on impulse and even though it demands concentration and time, couldn't put it down and was sad when it was finished. It encouraged me to read other works by Francis Yates which were equally enriching. The book opens up a aspect of history that was unknown to me and put other areas that I did know about in a broader perspective.