Gary Nottingham is the author of the seven-volume Foundations of Practical Sorcery, and its companion volumes Ars Alchemica, Ars Angelorum and Liber Sigillum. He lives in the Welsh March where he has organised the Ludlow Esoteric Conference, the Grimoire Gathering and the Welsh Occult Conference.Gary St. M. Nottingham first came across alchemy when he was fifteen through reading the popular early 1970's occult magazine 'Man, Myth & Magic.'This encouraged him to find out further about the arte and to study Israel Regardie's 'The Philosopher's Stone'; this in turn led to the works of Hollandus, Paracelsus and eventually Junius. However, it was his involvement with a group of alchemical practitioners that opened many of the doors for him and much that he had learnt finally began to make sense. Subsequently he has taught and written extensively on the alchemical arte, running several one-day workshops and weekends on practical laboratory alchemy. His other areas of occult study are astrology, grimoires, and the Kabbalah, all of which are expressed as part of his alchemical work.