The Philosopher's Stone: A Quest for the Secrets of Alchemy by Peter Marshall
Alchemy is an ancient, but still practised, science concerned with transformation: base metal into gold; mortal into immortal. This book investigates the realities behind the mythology of alchemy and searches for the element which can make it a reality: the legendary Philosopher's Stone. It reveals that Isaac Newton spent much of his time at Cambridge practising alchemy and tells the stories of famous alchemists that claimed to have unlocked the secret of transformation.