I will never again look at a piece of china or porcelain decoration without thinking of where it was made. This book gave a really interesting story of how alchemy and the search for the philosopher's stone (to make gold out of base metals) led to the first true porcelain manufacturing in Europe...
John Law has to be one of the most fascinating men of the 18th century. The son of self-made goldsmith in Scotland, he rose to be one of the richest people in Europe, then the most powerful man in France, and finally a hated bankrupt chased across the continent for the remainder of his life.The h...
I'm not terribly knowledgeable as far as historical accuracy goes, but it seems - from my amateur view - like Gleeson did a good job. Even her style felt vintage, though she easily avoided the monotonous droning that Victorian novels tend towards.I was enthralled with the mystery and the people t...