Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry

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The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry is a scholarly group that focuses on alchemy and early chemistry. It holds biennial meetings and a yearly Graduate Workshop, publishes the Ambix journal and the twice-yearly Chemical Intelligence newsletter, and offers prizes and grants to researchers. Its members come from around the world.

History
The Society began in November 1935 as the Society for the Study of Alchemy and Early Chemistry, founded by J.R. Partington, Frank Sherwood Taylor, Douglas McKie, and Gerard Heym. Its goal was to study alchemy and early chemistry in scientific and historical ways and to publish related material. Sherwood Taylor started the journal Ambix in 1937, with Partington as the first Chairman. The early work covered chemistry in antiquity, the Latin West, iatrochemistry, and chemical philosophy. The Society closed during World War II and was re-established in 1946. The same year, Ambix published its second volume, with contributions from Dorothea Waley Singer and Carl Gustav Jung, who joined the Society then. In 1956, under editor Desmond Geoghegan, Ambix broadened its scope to include John Dalton and the 19th century. The name was changed to the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry in 1975.

Ambix journal
Ambix is published four times a year (February, May, August, November) and is refereed by an international editorial board. It covers a wide range of topics from exoteric and esoteric alchemy to modern chemistry, aiming to be accessible while rigorous. Each issue includes extensive book reviews. The journal has published numerous special issues and launched the Sources of Alchemy and Chemistry series in 2013, providing critical editions and English translations of key texts. Ambix has an international readership and is available online free to members at ambix.org, as well as by subscription or mail.

Activities and archive
The Society’s newsletter, Chemical Intelligence, appears twice a year and reports on Society events and other history-of-chemistry activities. The Society’s archive is kept at the History of Science Museum in Oxford. The Society organizes a Spring meeting and an Autumn meeting each year, with recent topics such as John Dee, chemistry and its audiences, and the history of chemistry in Europe. It also runs an annual postgraduate workshop, usually in the Autumn, in venues like Oxford, Cambridge, London, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Philadelphia.

Prizes and grants
The Society offers three prizes: the Partington Prize (every three years, for an original essay on any aspect of the history of alchemy and chemistry), the John and Martha Morris Award (every three years, for outstanding achievements in the history of modern chemistry or the history of the chemical industry), and the Oxford Part II Prize (any year, for a strong history of chemistry thesis for Oxford’s Part II). It also provides yearly grants through its Award Scheme, including two competitive grants. Research Awards are open to postgraduate students and to PhD holders within ten years of the previous January 1. The Subject Development Award supports activities like seminars, workshops, and conferences. In addition, non-competitive grants may be awarded to individuals and organizations.