"Phillip Theophrastus Gribbleflotz, the world's greatest alchemist and a great grandson of Paracelsus was a man history had forgotten. But when the town of Grantville was transported from modern West Virginia to central Germany in the early 17th century, he got a second chance at fame and fortune. With suitable enticements Gribbleflotz is persuaded to make baking soda and then baking powder so the time-displaced Americans can continue to enjoy their biscuits and gravy. Applying his superb grasp of the principles of alchemy to the muddled and confused notions the Americans have concerning what they call 'chemistry,' Gribbleflotz leaves obscurity behind"