2012 Reprint of 1930 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Fulcanelli is almost certainly a pseudonym assumed during the early 20th century, by a French alchemist and esoteric author whose identity is still debated. Fulcanelli was undoubtedly a Frenchman, educated profoundly, and learned in the ways of alchemical lore, architecture, art, science, and languages. Fulcanelli wrote two books that were published after his disappearance during 1926, having left his magnum opus with his only student, Eugène Canseliet. These two works-- "Le Mystere des Cathedrals," and "Les Demeures philosophales" -propose to decipher the symbols and alchemy represented in such French monuments as Notre-Dame, Amiens Cathedrals and others.