This book is a sequel to several scholarly works Lindsay has written on Graeco-Roman Egypt. It is for the reader already knowledgeable about classical antiquity, mythology, and the history of science. The first nine chapters are too difficult for the casual reader. Because it contains much of psychoanalytic interest, a valuable bibliography, and an exceptionally useful index, the volume should not be overlooked as a reference work by psychoanalytic libraries.

Lindsay performs a masterful job of historical analysis, delineating the multiple philosophic and cultural determinants of alchemic theory and practice. He is generally weak on the psychologic and symbolic determinants. However, in the chapter, Womb