The history of old formulas and chemical recipes stretches back to ancient civilizations, where early chemists, alchemists, and healers experimented with natural materials to create medicines, dyes, cosmetics, and metal alloys. In Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China, early records describe recipes for perfumes, inks, and glassmaking, blending observation with mysticism. During the Middle Ages, alchemy flourished across the Islamic world and Europe, as scholars sought to transform base metals into gold and discover the “elixir of life.” Though steeped in symbolism, these pursuits laid the groundwork for modern chemistry by introducing systematic experimentation and record-keeping. Renaissance and Enlightenment thinkers refined chemical recipes for practical uses—developing gunpowder, soaps, inks, and early pharmaceuticals—while moving away from superstition toward scientific inquiry. By the 18th and 19th centuries, chemistry became an established science, and many old formulas evolved into standardized industrial processes. Today, ancient and historical chemical recipes are studied not only for their scientific value but also for the insight they provide into the ingenuity and curiosity of early experimenters who paved the way for modern chemistry.
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Includes making of:
Ink, Lubricants, Metal Polish, Paint, Perfumes and Colognes, Soap, Sealing Wax, Stain for Wood, Tonics and Potions, Shampoo, Toothpaste, varnish, Adhesives, Beer, Beverages, Candy, Ciders, Cleaning Solvents, Colas, Craft Necessities, First Aid salves, Face Creams, Furniture polish, Chewing Gum, Vinegar, Wine ... and just about anything you can imagine, a very useful collection even today.
All of the book titles that are included in this DVD are listed as follows:
Recipes for the colour, paint, varnish, oil, soap and drysaltery trades - 1902
Secrets of Wise Men, chemists - 1889
Six Hundred Receipts, Worth Gold - 1867
Standard Cyclopedia of Recipes - 1901
The Amateur's Handbook Information - 1879
The Druggist's General Receipt Book - 1878
The English and American Mechanic - 1874
The General Receipt Book - 1853
The Guide to Wealth - 1890s
The Houeshold Cyclopedia - 1873
The Laboratory - Vol. 1 - 1799
The Laboratory - Vol. 2 - 1799
The Manual of Receipts - 1899
The New Family Receipt Book - 1819
The Techno-chemical Receipt Book - 1886
The Techno-Chemical Receipt Book - 1919
The Workshop Companion - 1879
Trade Secrets and Private Recipes - 1887
Captive Secrets - 1895
Chemical Recipes - 1896
Dr. Chases Recipes - 1869
Encyclopedia of Practical Recipes - 1872
English and American Mechanic ~ a collection of over 3000 receipts, rules and tables, designed for the use of every mechanic and manufacturer - 1874
Equipping your Chem. Lab
Handy Mans Workshop and Laboratory - 1910
Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas - Containing ten thousand selected household & workshop formulas - 1914
How to Set Up your Lab
Industrial Recipes - 1913
Machinerys Shop Receipts and Formulas - 1911
Mackenzies Five Thousand Receipts - 1854
Mackenzies Ten Thousand Receipts - 1865
One Thousand Secrets - 1898