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Alexander von Humboldt was the most admired scientist of his day. But the achievements for which he was most celebrated in his lifetime always fell short of perfection. When he climbed the Chimborazo, then believed to be the highest mountain in the world, he did not quite reach the top; he established the existence of the Casiquiare canal, between the great water systems of the Orinoco and the Amazon, but this had been well known to local people; and his magisterial work, Cosmos, was left unfinished. This was no coincidence. Humboldt's pursuit of an all-encompassing, immersive approach to science was a way of finding limits: of nature and of the scientist's own self. A Longing for Wide and Unknown Things portrays a scientific life lived in the era of German Romanticism -- a time of radical change, where the focus on the individual placed a new value on feeling, and the pursuit of personal desires. As Humboldt himself admitted, he 'would have sailed to the remotest South Seas, even if it hadn't fulfilled any scientific purpose whatever'.

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As a practising Christian priest, Hermann Beckh was profoundly aware that the mystery of substance – its transmutation in the cosmos and the human being – was a mystical fact to be approached with the greatest reverence, requiring at once ever-deepening scholarship and meditation. He viewed chemistry as a worthy but materialistic science devoid of spirit, while the fullness of spiritual-physical nature could be approached by what he preferred to call ‘chymistry’ or ‘alchymy’, thereby taking in millennia of spiritual tradition. In consequence, Beckh’s Alchymy, The Mystery of the Material World is not limited to the conventional workings of Western alchemy, nor to what can be found in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation – although he does unveil hidden riches there. Neither should Beckh be considered only as a learned Professor with impeccable academic qualifications and European-wide recognition. Beckh writes about such topics as ‘Isis’, ‘the Golden Fleece’, traditional fairy-stories and Wagner’s Parsifal in a way that enables the reader to catch glimpses of the Mystery of Substance; to share the writer’s authentic experience of the divine substantia – the living reality – of Christ in the world. Beckh’s Alchymy set an entirely new standard, and went on to become his most popular publication. This is the first time that it has been translated into English, along with updated footnotes, making his ideas and insights accessible to a wide readership. In addition, this edition features translations of Beckh’s ‘The New Jerusalem’, where theology could best be expressed in verse; his exemplary essay on ‘Snow-white’; observations on ‘Allerleirauh’, and a substantial excerpt from Gundhild Kačer-Bock’s biography of Beckh.

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'An absorbing self-portrait of an exceptional cook.' Harold McGeeDaniel Patterson is the head chef /owner of Coi (pronounced "Kwa"), a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco. At Coi, Patterson mixes modern culinary techniques with local, wild and cultivated ingredients to create original dishes that speak of place, memory, and emotion. It's an approach that has earned him a worldwide reputation for pioneering a new kind of Californian cuisine.Patterson is also known for his original food writing, and he has been published in recent years in The New York Times, Bon Appetit and Lucky Peach. Now, in his highly anticipated new book, Coi: Stories and Recipes, Patterson writes a personal account of the restaurant, its dishes and his own unique philosophy about food and cooking. Beginning with a look at California - how Patterson arrived from the East Coast and how he became to feel more at home as the years progressed — the book takes the reader into the Coi kitchen, and through 70 of the restaurant's original dishes such as Chilled Spiced Ratatouille Soup; Carrots Roasted in Coffee Beans, Monterey Bay Abalone with Nettle-Dandelion Salsa Verde; Inverted Cherry Tomato Tart and Lime Marshmallow with Coal-Toasted Meringue. The dishes are explained through a series of personal essays and narrative recipes, offering insight into Patterson's life, family, and inspirations. Coi: Stories and Recipes includes 150 color photographs showing the finished dishes as well as atmospheric images of the restaurant, the California landscape, and portraits of Coi's staff and suppliers. The book features forewords by Peter Meehan and Harold McGee. It is sure to be one of the most talked about cookbooks of the year.

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