Rating: 
Summary: Splendidly told history always pleases
Review: If you enjoy splendidly written historical stories, this is a must read. I must admit that the story started to lose its lustre around the time that Meissen loses its lustre; but, in its entirety, the book is a must read. If you've read The Professor and the Madman, this story is equally enthralling.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasant Read
Review: Janet Gleeson is not a storyteller. This becomes apparent as she pops between explaining the arcanum, porcelain making, political strife and the lives of the people involved. The subjects are so compelling, however, that you will not mind too much. It is apparent, too, that she has a passion for the subject of porcelain making, and she does manage to infuse the reader with her interest.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant Read
Review: Janet Gleeson is not a storyteller. This becomes apparent as she pops between explaining the arcanum, porcelain making, political strife and the lives of the people involved. The subjects are so compelling, however, that you will not mind too much. It is apparent, too, that she has a passion for the subject of porcelain making, and she does manage to infuse the reader with her interest.
Rating:
Summary: a great tale of greed
Review: Janet Gleeson's THE ARCANUM is a fascinating history of the "discovery" of porcelain by the Europeans. During the reign of Augustus the Strong, European royalty strived for political and financial superiority over one another. Their quest for riches led to the "science" of alchemy: turning lead into gold. He who had the power would rule absolutely, or so they thought.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!
Rating:
Summary: History comes alive with this compelling book!
Review: Janet Gleeson's writing is alive. Her research is remarkable. She puts us in the prison cell with Bottger, the alchemist who has failed to create gold and falls into near insanity, despairing over his condition. We experience the heat & toxic fumes of the factories. We have a front row seat to the corruption and greed of the great and mighty. But Gleeson doesn't forget the condition of the ordinary people who are also part of this story. Whether you are a collector of fine porcelain or a student of history, this book is a compelling read. And if you are planning to travel in the area, this book is a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and Educational but not what I expected
Review: 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.
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Summary: Porcelain From Dresden
Review: Porcelain, the ceramics world's equivalent of gold, is among humankind's most celebrated and beautiful inventions: the perfect porcelain item is translucent, and infinite variations of usage exist for it. It was notoriously expensive because for centuries it could only be obtained overland, through China - some thought it was created by magic, and even among educated people despaired that the sands and clays necessary to make it would be unavailable in the West. All until a rather mad semi-conman, who had already been chucked out of one royal house, lucked upon the patronage of the Elector of Saxony, and then lucked upon the winning formula, thus bringing the art of porcelain-making to the West. For about a generation, Dresden had the monopoly on porcelain manufacturing; following that, industrial spies were able to sell the secret to France (Sevres) and various other European capitals. Nevertheless, Meissen porcelain is still celebrated as Europe's best. Gleeson's story is an excellent recapturing of the strange conventions of the seventeenth and eighteenth century economies and the strange means by which one might make one's fortune under the ancien regime. She is also blessed by some truly colorful characters: Bottger the fortunate (if not accidental)inventor; Herold the painter (who found a way of decorating and tinting the porcelain), and the Elector himself, who was ruthless enough to hold Bottger prisoner until he yielded the formula.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting history of german porcelain making
Review: The Arcanum is the history of making porcelain in the seventeenth century in Germany. The search started when an alchemist who was looking for "the philosopher's stone" to transmute base metals into gold, failed at his search but came up with the secret formula for making hardpaste porcelain in Europe for the first time. Greedy kings play a large part, and wars are an integral part of the story. This book would definitely have benefited from the inclusion of photographs of some of the old pieces that are in museums today.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting history of german porcelain making
Review: The Arcanum is the history of making porcelain in the seventeenth century in Germany. The search started when an alchemist who was looking for "the philosopher's stone" to transmute base metals into gold, failed at his search but came up with the secret formula for making hardpaste porcelain in Europe for the first time. Greedy kings play a large part, and wars are an integral part of the story. This book would definitely have benefited from the inclusion of photographs of some of the old pieces that are in museums today.
Rating:
Summary: Little Book with a Big Story
Review: The Arcanum lives up to every effusive word of praise that reviewers have lavished on it. Filled with quirky characters, drama, tension, and no small amount of glorious history, it reads as well if not better than Longitude, from a similar niche history category. Advised for women, men, old and young, learn something and be entertained at once. Give yourselves a treat with this one.
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