"Alchemy and Authority does for the history of alchemy what the literature on quacks has done for the history of medicine: it approaches the blurry boundaries that define an individual’s success or downfall in a profession and in society. By asking, reconsidering, and answering the questions posed here, Nummedal speaks to historians of alchemy and science as well as to anyone intrigued by history and the mechanisms of economic systems, power, and authority. . . . . Her style is refreshingly concise and engaging. She is one of only a few academic authors who manage to confine and cionsistently pursue their argument . . . and yet manage to write beautiful, effortless prose."

Anke Timmerman | Chemical Heritage

"This is a terrific study, accessible, based in concrete archival research, and well connected to contemporary discussions. It gives new direction to thinking about the role of alchemy in the social and cultural life of early modern Europe. By diffracting the light usually focused on prominent alchemical figures in the history of science and medicine, Nummedal adds a much needed cultural dimension to the understanding of how alchemical identities were shaped in early modern Europe and to how they in turn influenced the social and intellectual world around them."

Bruce T. Moran | Bulletin of the History of Medicine

"Nummedal’s Alchemy and Authority should be read not just by historians of science but also by historians interested in court culture. Her work offers a new look at the dynamic relationship between the construction of natural knowledge and political authority that many historians will benefit from reading."

Darin Hayton | Renaissance Quarterly

"Alchemy and Authority makes a significant contribution to the history of early modern science, and also provides some valuable material for the study of early modern state-building and court culture. . . . This extremely readable and enjoyable book has much to offer historians and literary scholars of a variety of backgrounds."

Paul Brand | German History

"The title of this book, Alchemy and Authority in the Holy Roman Empire, aptly embraces its multiple but related themes. On one hand, it is about the efforts of early modern alchemists to construct a kind of professional authority for themselves and about the necessary but sometimes tragic relationships of alchemists to the political authorities that patronized them and capitalized their workshops. But it is also about how 'authority,' in its deeper meaning of 'authorship,' played a significant role in creating and shaping public stereotypes of the alchemist...Alchemy and Authority in the Holy Roman Empire shows us that the language and methodology of alchemy and mining were similar and that patrons expected similar solutions from alchemists and metallurgists, who were in many cases the same clients. This is an important step in properly contextualizing early modern alchemy."

Jole Shackelford | ISIS

"Nummedal describes alchemy in the Holy Roman Empire very convincingly as a complex problem of scientific, economic, and social history."

Zeitschrift fur Historische Forschung (translated from German)