num_pages: 376
description: Although his accomplishments were substantial-he became a trusted confidante to Queen Elizabeth I, inspired the formation of the British Empire, and plotted voyages to the New World-John Dee's story has been largely lost to history. In The Queen's Conjurer , Benjamin Woolley brings to life the tale of one of the most colorful characters of the Renaissance. In the midst of a pivotal era when the age of superstition collided with the world of science and reason, Dee's mathematics anticipated Newton by nearly a century, and his mapmaking and navigation were critical to exploration. Obsessed with alchemy, astrology, and mysticism, his library was one of the finest in Europe, a vast compendium of thousands of volumes. Yet, despite his powerful position and prodigious intellect, Dee died in poverty and obscurity, reviled and pitied as a madman.Written with flair and vigor, and based on numerous surviving diaries of the period, The Queen's Conjurer is a highly readable account of an extraordinary and nearly forgotten life.
language: English
title: The Queen's Conjurer: The Science and Magic of Dr. John Dee, Adviser to Queen Elizabeth I
titlecomplete: The Queen's Conjurer: The Science and Magic of Dr. John Dee, Adviser to Queen Elizabeth I
characters: John Dee
genres: Historical, History, Science, Magic, Elizabethan Period, Tudor Period, Spirituality, Occult, Biography, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 760
publisher: Holt Paperbacks