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Joseph Bottger was brought to the imperial court at Augustus' behest to unlock the secrets of alchemy. During his endless experiments, he stumbled upon a process for creating porcelain which in turn gave rise to the Meissen factory of world renown today. Bottger at one point attempted escape, and was captured and returned to the castle's laboratory. He was spared his life only because he was able to convince Augustus of the potential wealth the manufacture of porcelain could bring. So began Bottger's lifelong work of refining the porcelain's quality with particular regard to the purity of its color and opacity.

He spent decades in the bowels of the palace, for weeks at a time under inhumane working conditions. The firing rooms and the ovens they contained produced not only unbearably high temperatures, but noxious and often fatal fumes that would be likened to today's black lung disease suffered by coal miners.

Ms. Gleeson's tale is not only one of great wealth, but of the dire consequences that befell the not only Augustus, but all of Europe. Wars were fought not only for religion, but also for the desire to control the porcelain markets.

Educational and quite suspenseful. Excellent history lesson, Ms. Gleeson!


A Fun and Surprising History   September 17, 2000
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up a copy of The Arcanum in a bookstore at the airport. I needed something to read on a four hour flight, and Janet Gleeson's book definitely fit the bill: it kept my attention for the whole four hours. The capsule on the back cover was what really caught my attention. It promised eccentric kings, dungeons and avarice of all kinds. The book did not disappoint! It's as much an entertaining look at how small things make a big difference in history as it is a factual and well-presented history of the introduction of porcelain manufacture in Europe.

Gleeson did her homework, and that enabled her to bring to life a cast of character that might have come out of the most imaginative of novels. Almost before our eyes we can see the Augustus' obsession with porcelain, and finding a way to manufacture it, drive events in European history. We see a young and desperate alchemist/charlatan who couldn't have gotten himself in more trouble if he tried. Gleeson weaves these, and other, figures and their strange tale into a history that reads almost like a novel.

If you enjoy Barbara Tuchman's books, I suspect that you'll like Janet Gleeson's, as well. Aside from the fascinating story, Gleeson provides a technical discussion of the substance of porcelain ware and its manufacture that should appeal to novice and expert alike. I enjoyed this book immensely; it gave the reader the whole package. I recommend it without reservation and I'll definitely be looking to read more books by this author.


Interesting and Educational but not what I expected   July 19, 2000
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Last night after my cat broke a porcelain plate I had purchased in the Netherlands, I found myself inspecting it more closely to discern how it was made. Was it enameled, painted on after firing, underpainted, etc? Before reading The Arcanum, I had never given this any thought and indeed did not know what enameling was. I had expected this book to be more of a historical fiction with character development and dialogue but it is not that. However, how wonderful when a book causes you to look at things with piqued interest that had previously been anonymously sitting in your house.


Facinating tale   April 14, 2000
Gleeson makes the mystery, politics and intrigue surrounding the discovery for the formula for making porcelain very engrossing.