I've come across Dee's name several times over the years, usually in conjunction with alchemy, natural philosophy, angels and early British spies. In that respect, this book was a little disappointing. My expectation was to learn something of his magic. Instead, and no disrespect to the author, it was more an exploration of the influx of renaissance ideas to England, largely through the efforts and charisma of John Dee.Perhaps at the time of writing, academic orthodoxy prevented French from delving into the mystical areas of research, or perhaps French wasn't really interested in occult magic, I can't say for certain. French does say that we wouldn't "close any doors" with his book, that's true; indeed, one question that I had before reading and that remained after reading is the actual existence of supernatural beings - reputedly the sources of knowledge that alchemists like Dee (as well as Isaac Newton, incidentally) used to "help mankind" as well as garner socio-political influence; though not necessarily wealth.
A good biography and snapshot of England in the 1500's!
