In English speaking countries, the name Philip Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim (1493 - 1541) isn't often heard these days.

In German-speaking lands, however, the name conjures legends, myths, and tall tales of esoteric secrets, like the real nature of the Philosopher's Stone, or the best recipe for a homunculus.

Were a film about Paracelsus to be made today, however, it would have to be based on this excellent biography. Philip Ball's account of this semi-mythical and little-known figure is a pleasure to read, combining a page-turning narrative with brief histories of Renaissance magic, medicine and religious upheaval.