An intimate exploration of inspiration and creativity, from the "parfumeur exclusif" of the house of Hermès. A scent has incantatory powers, capable of transporting you to your past, of kindling fantasies, of creating a vivid mise en scène—literally out of thin air. In the hands of the truly great, perfume creation is a kind of alchemy. Where does inspiration for this visceral art come from? How does one capture the essence of emotions, of desire? Jean-Claude Ellena has a sublime gift. As "parfumeur exclusif" (or "the nose") for Hermès, he elevates fragrance to an art form. A "writer of perfume," his concoctions are as finely composed and evocative as a haiku. He is also a conjurer of sorts: "I create an illusion that is actually stronger than reality . . . you enter the scent and follow the path." The Diary of a Nose is a collection of Ellena’s meditations on the world of scents, and what stirs his creation of some of the world’s most desired fragrances. Inspiration can come from anywhere—a market stall, a landscape, or even the movement of calligraphy. Though each smell has its own distinct character, a gifted perfumer creates olfactory experiences that are intensely personal and unique, that blossom on the body and leave a trace of us lingering after we have left a room. Seductive, delicate, and elegant as any of Ellena’s creations, The Diary of a Nose seeks to capture the most elusive facets of this rarefied and mysterious art.

In 2008, Turin and Sanchez up-ended the world of fragrance with their critically acclaimed Perfumes: the A–Z Guide, one of Amazon’s best books of the year, described by John Lanchester in the New Yorker as “ravishingly entertaining,” by India Knight in the Sunday Times (UK) as “one of the best books I have ever read,” by Hilary Mantel as “opinionated, knowledgeable, sharply written and surprisingly comprehensive … a purely enjoyable book,” and by Philip Hensher as "a work of the highest criticism, one which elevates writing about perfume to the best sort of writing about wine or rock music." Ten years later they bring their inimitably passionate, erudite perspective back to the hugely changed world of fragrance, to sort out which of over 1,200 new individual perfumes deserves celebration (and which condemnation). The 2018 guide includes all new content, including - “Ten Years Later,” looking back on the last decade of fragrance - “The Shifting Shape of Fragrance 1918–2018,” describing changes over a hundred years of - fragrance history - all new Frequently Asked Questions - over 1,200 individual perfume reviews: masculine and feminine, mainstream and arcane, from the latest Guerlains to a five-star masterpiece by a small, little-known Malaysian firm - an expanded glossary - top ten lists, this time including not just top masculines and feminines but the best introverts and extroverts, the best retro, the best citrus, the best oud, and more

"An event, place or encounter will always be associated with a perfume or scent, serving as an infallible and trusty aide-mémoire, a formula we do not always recognise but available if we need it.'\\nDominique Ropion is often described as reserved, gifted, playful and a hard worker. He defines himself as a composer, an arithmetician of fragrance, motivated by the idea that "the same formula recounts different stories on each person's skin'.\nIn these chapters, he deconstructs the smells that characterised his childhood, the ones he likes to come across in the street or through a spontaneous encounter, and the aromas of flowers –;rose, narcissus, tuberose –; to offer us their olfactory and emotional secrets. Exploring the notions of addiction, animality and attraction, he strives to create scents that will "bind to any being and mould to its inner depths, which will necessarily be different' from his own. With this unique testimony, he reveals the sensitive and inimitable approach he takes to his work.\nDominique Ropion has been a master perfumer at the fragrance house International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) in Paris since 2000. In the last 30 years, he has authored some of perfumery's greatest triumphs: Ysatis and Amarige by Givenchy, La vie est belle by Lancôme, Alien by Thierry Mugler, Invictus by Paco Rabanne, and even Portrait of a Lady and Carnal Flower for Frédéric Malle. Marie-Bénédicte Gauthier is a journalist and author of several books, including Parfums mythiques (La Martinière, 2011).

Critically acclaimed author Denise Hamilton weaves an engrossing story of teenage friendship and adult betrayal, featuring a high-powered crisis consultant who gets swept up in murder and scandal involving a wealthy political family. Maggie Silver is solidly middle class, with a mortgage to pay and an ill mother to support. She is doing her best to scramble up the ladder at an elite PR firm in Southern California whose clients include movie stars and famous athletes. Now, Maggie tackles her toughest client yet: Senator Henry Paxton, a distinguished statesman who also happens to be the father of Anabelle, Maggie’s estranged best friend from high school. Senator Paxton’s young female aide has been found murdered, and Maggie must run damage control to prevent the scandal from growing. Thrown back into the Paxtons’ glamorous world, Maggie is unexpectedly flooded with memories from the stormy years in high school when her friendship with Anabelle was dramatically severed after a tragedy that neither of them has been able to forget. As Maggie gets further embroiled in the lives of the Paxtons, she realizes that the ties of her old friendship are stronger than she thinks. Riveting and suspense-filled, Damage Control examines our craving for celebrity and spectacle, and how far the bonds of friendship can stretch before they break forever.

In the book that started it all, Turin and Sanchez bring perfume appreciation to the attention of the wider culture with their critically lauded guide to over 1,800 fragrances, from their all-time favorites to a stinker described as “like getting lemon juice in a paper cut.” Introductory essays educate the reader on how perfumes are made, what they’re made of, and which are historical and cultural landmarks. Smelling through the top ten lists should be one of any perfume fanatic’s life goals.

Let Scent and Subversion take you for a whiff on the wild side of 20th century perfume.Perfume has been -- and continues to be -- subversive. By playing with gender conventions, highlighting the ripe smells of the human body, or celebrating queer and louche identities, 20th-century perfume broke free from the assumptions of the prior century, and became a largely unrecognized part of the social and style revolutions of the modern era. In Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume, Barbara Herman continues her irreverent, poetic, and often humorous analysis of vintage perfumes and perfume ads that she began on her popular blog YesterdaysPerfume.com. The book features descriptions of over 300 perfumes, starting with Fougère Royale (1882) and ending with Demeter's Laundromat (2000).Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 vintage perfume ads, it will also regale you with essays on scent appreciation, a glossary of important perfume terms and ingredients, and tips on how to begin your own foray into vintage and contemporary perfume. Herman also looks to the future through interviews with scent visionaries such as odor expert and "professional provocateur" Sissel Tolaas, punk perfumer Antoine Lie, and Martynka Wawrzyniak, the artist behind "Smell Me," the world's first olfactory self-portrait.The perfect book for perfume aficionados (aka "perfumistas") as well as connoisseurs of modern fashion and design, feminist and LGBTQ historians, and fans of vintage advertising.

"Marcel Proust's famous madeleine surprised his narrator with a strong emotion that he traced back to an idyllic, forgotten time in childhood. My first taste of grouse as part of a traditional British lunch seemed full of significance even though there had been no grouse in my past, and it was as if I were touching something essential in myself and in the world. That mystifying surpise set me off on a search for the latest insights of sense and flavour."\nHarold McHee\nSavouring the World is a wide-ranging survey of taste and smell - two senses that have a powerful but largely overlooked influence on our everyday lives. This book will not only explain how these senses truly work, but also how to enjoy them more actively to transform your relationship with flavour.\nHarold McGee's acclaimed On Food & Cooking won the André Simon Food Book of the Year and is a masterpiece of gastronomic writing; a rich, addictive blend of chemistry, history and anecdote that no self-respecting foodie or cook can afford to be without. Savouring the World promises to intrigue and amaze foodies just as much.\n'McGee is the man who transformed most curious people's understanding about food.'\nGuardian Weekend

Luca Turin was born with an uncannily powerful nose, able to distinguish the components of any scent, from the world's most refined perfumes to the air on the New York subways. A scientist, he kept his powers to himself, concentrating on other fields. But when, for the love of it, he began to write reviews of fragrances, and those reviews took the world by storm, everything changed. The secret world of scent creation opened up, and Turin discovered something astonishing: No one understands how our noses work. Billions and billions of dollars are spent creating the scents all around us in a manner that amounts to a glorified trial and error. The solution to the mystery of every other human sense had led to a Nobel Prize. Why should smell be any different? Turin has given his life to this great riddle. And in the end, incredibly, after an epic struggle, he solved it. Then things got really interesting...Chandler Burr tells the extraordinary story of Luca Turin, his incredible sense of smell and his battles with the scientific establishment in as a remarkable quirky a tale of obsession as Susan Orlean's bestseller "The Orchid Thief".

Born into the world of perfume (his grandfather was the founder of Parfums Christian Dior), Frédéric Malle's deep knowledge of scents and his radical vision of perfumes led him, in 2000, to establish Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, a house for perfumers where fragrances are conceived as haute couture creations. At a time when the self-service sale of perfumes was on the rise, Malle chose to open a boutique that would provide a luxurious setting for the perfumes he "publishes" with the world's greatest perfumers. Malle's determination has been to champion the art of perfumery itself, granting perfumers total and complete freedom to create, furnishing them with exceptional raw materials and releasing all boundaries and constraints, restoring the art of perfume making to its former glory. This October, to mark the twentieth anniversary of Frédéric Malle's quest for beauty and creative freedom, Rizzoli will publish Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle: The First Twenty Years. A necessary addition to the libraries of industry masters, this volume is an exploration of the inspirations and vision of one of the great protagonists of contemporary perfume. 2020 marks a historic date for the house: twenty years of audacity and creativity. Twenty years of shifting paradigms in the exacting world of perfumery. In Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle: The First Twenty Years, Malle offers readers an intimate glimpse into his brand's saga and shares the stories behind four of his most successful scents in graphic-novel form. Journalist Marion Vignal delves into Malle's lifelong devotion to perfume, personal history, and myriad inspirations to uncover the evolution of his precise olfactory aesthetics, while imagery of perfume bottles, sketches, advertising campaigns, and photos of boutiques explores his comprehensive vision. With art direction by Patrick Li, the book features an eclectic palette of imagery from the personal archives of the founder, as well as illustrations, unique sketches and authentic stories about Malle's collaboration with Perfumers. Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle: The First Twenty Years is an invitation to a sensorial journey that will delight perfume lovers everywhere. This volume invites faithful connoisseurs of haute perfumery and lovers of fine craftsmanship alike to join in celebrating an authentic, audacious, exacting, and rich brand.

A beautifully made scent can encapsulate a particular feeling, transport you to a very specific time in life with clarity, or remind you of a special loved one or friend. And just like wearing your favorite outfit or shoes, your favorite perfume can make you feel invincible. The question is, how do you find such a creation? With the number of new releases steadily increasing, it can be bewildering even attempting to find a perfume you like, let alone love.In Perfume, Neil Chapman guides readers through a world that can at times seem overwhelming. Fragrances of every variety are listed 'note by note' in clearly divided categories that will steer you in the direction of a perfume you not only like, but love and cherish as 'your' signature scent. Chapters explore popular notes (for example, vanilla, sandalwood, jasmine, rose, patchouli, chocolate) or a broader identifiable group (such as 'oceanics', 'green florals' or 'anti-perfume'), giving an insight into that particular category as well as a clear sense of the similarities and differences between the scents described within it. Featuring over 700 scents, from vintage perfumes to department store classics, rarities and niche boutique fragrances, Perfume is a true portal into the beautiful world of perfume. The further you go on this journey, the more you will be amazed by how many beautiful creations do exist if you take the time to look.

Diane Ackerman's lusciously written grand tour of the realm of the senses includes conversations with an iceberg in Antarctica and a professional nose in New York, along with dissertations on kisses and tattoos, sadistic cuisine and the music played by the planet Earth. “Delightful . . . gives the reader the richest possible feeling of the worlds the senses take in.” —The New York Times

Why do some people like a certain aroma and others hate it? Is smell personal or cultural? How does it affect our choices and our actions? The Scent of Desire is the definitive psychological study of the importance of smell in our lives, from nourishment to procreation to our relationships with other people and the world at large. Located in the same part of the brain that processes emotion, memory, and motivation, this most essential of senses is imperative to our physical and emotional well-being. It was crucial to our ancestors' existence and it remains so today, profoundly shaping our emotional, physical, and even sexual lives. One of the world's leading experts on the psychology of smell, Rachel Herz investigates how smell functions, what purpose it serves, and how inextricably it is linked to our survival in this compelling, surprising, delightfully informative appreciation of the wonders of this sadly neglected sense.

An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind’s classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man’s indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of smell—leads to murder. In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift—an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille’s genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and fresh-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the “ultimate perfume”—the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity. \nTranslated from the German by John E. Woods.

Jitterbug Perfumeis an epic.Which is to say, it begins in the forests of ancient Bohemia and doesn’t conclude until nine o’clock tonight (Paris time).It is a saga, as well. A saga must have a hero, and the hero of this one is a janitor with a missing bottle.The bottle is blue, very, very old, and embossed with the image of a goat-horned god.If the liquid in the bottle actually is the secret essence of the universe, as some folks seem to think, it had better be discovered soon because it is leaking and there is only a drop or two left.

A remarkable novel about secrets, desire, memory, passion, and possibility.\nNewlywed Grace Monroe doesn’t fit anyone’s expectations of a successful 1950s London socialite, least of all her own. When she receives an unexpected inheritance from a complete stranger, Madame Eva d’Orsey, Grace is drawn to uncover the identity of her mysterious benefactor.\nWeaving through the decades, from 1920s New York to Monte Carlo, Paris, and London, the story Grace uncovers is that of an extraordinary women who inspired one of Paris’s greatest perfumers. Immortalized in three evocative perfumes, Eva d’Orsey’s history will transform Grace’s life forever, forcing her to choose between the woman she is expected to be and the person she really is.\nThe Perfume Collector explores the complex and obsessive love between muse and artist, and the tremendous power of memory and scent.

Emmy-winning actor Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos, The White Lotus, etc.) brilliantly evokes 1970s New York in this Holden Caulfield–esque debut\n"[T]he actor's first novel is a quintessential New York story: A teenager moves from Queens to Manhattan, discovering a world populated with drugs, sex, a witch, and Lou Reed. It's like a vivid walk through the city and adolescence, reveling in their grit and pathos."\n—New York Times\\n"Imperioli's first novel is the atmospheric coming-of-age story of sixteen-year-old Matthew, whose mother moves them from Queens to a posh apartment in Manhattan in 1976 . . . Imperioli can definitely write, and he gets high marks for the verisimilitude and empathy that he evokes in this fine crossover novel."\n—Booklist, starred review\nMatthew is a sixteen-year-old boy living in Jackson Heights, Queens, in 1976. After he loses his two most important male role models, his father and grandfather, his mother uses her inheritance to uproot Matthew and herself to a posh apartment building in Manhattan. Although only three miles away from his boyhood home, "the city" is a completely new and strange world to Matthew.\nMatthew soon befriends (and becomes a factotum of sorts to) Lou Reed, who lives with his transgender girlfriend Rachel in the same building. The artistic-shamanic rocker eventually becomes an unorthodox father figure to Matthew, who finds himself head over heels for the mysterious Veronica, a wise-beyond-her-years girl he meets at his new school.\nThe novel is written from the point of view of Matthew at age eighteen, two years after the story begins, and concludes with an epilogue in the year 2013, three days after Lou Reed's death, with Matthew in his fifties.

Erica Bauermeister, the national bestselling author of The School of Essential Ingredients, presents a moving and evocative coming-of-age novel about childhood stories, families lost and found, and how a fragrance conjures memories capable of shaping the course of our lives. \nEmmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world--a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.\nLyrical and immersive, The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek, and even help us find our way back home.

Perfume has always been an exclusive industry, from its early days with France quickly claiming the title as the premier centre of the perfume industry to the current multi-million dollar industry retaining its image of luxury and glamour. In The Essence of Perfume the story of perfume, from ancient Egypt where the fragrance Kypi induced mass surrender when it was offered in worship to the sun god, through the rivalry between Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli, and up to modern day celebrity fragrances, is told by the world expert in perfume.Roja Dove is without doubt the world’s leading fragrance authority. Described not only as a perfume historian but also a storyteller, Dove’s genuine passion and often risqué wit are infused within the pages of this authoritative guide to the world of perfume. The book includes chapters encompassing the social and scientific history of scent. Our sense of smell is discussed, focusing on how it has evolved and why we respond to odors in the way we do. The birth of the modern perfume industry is outlined, looking into society’s attitude to fragrance and the progress towards perfumery as we know it. The techniques involved in the process of making perfume are detailed including the methods of extraction used to obtain the essential oils that form the building blocks of perfumery. Furthermore, the raw materials of perfume and their olfactory qualities are explored, leading onto how a perfumer constructs a fragrance and the principle styles and strengths of fragrance that are created.Dove then goes on to look at the great creations in perfumery from 1889, decade by decade with descriptions and their socio-economical context. The perfumers and the stories behind the houses are discussed revealing the characters that have revolutionized the industry, told with Roja’s knowledge and humor. In a beautifully photographic section the bottles and the crystal houses are explored with the iconic bottles they produced. Roja also looks towards the future of the perfume industry and how celebrities, and their fans, have influenced this.

This volume showcases the perfumes of Christian Dior against the backdrop of his life―the Belle Epoque of his youth, the “Roaring Twenties” of his young adulthood and the postwar period of his success as a fashion designer and perfumer. From 1946, before his first collection had even been debuted, Dior was interested in perfume, launching the iconic Miss Dior fragrance (along with the perfumer Paul Vacher) in 1947, and later gaining great success with fragrances such as Diorissimo, Eau Sauvage, Poison and J’Adore.

Looking for books on essential oils? Completely updated essential oils book: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy might be the best aromatherapy book available anywhere. And, it just got better!If you liked Modern Essentials, you’ll love this essential oils favorite: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, Revised and Expanded is a necessary resource for anyone interested in alternative approaches to healing and lifestyle. This new edition contains more than 800 easy-to-follow recipes for essential oil treatments from Valerie Ann Worwood, a consultant and expert on the clinical uses of essential oils internationally.Explore the multitude of benefits of essential oils and aromatherapy: In her clear and positive voice, Worwood provides tools to address a variety of health issues, including specific advice for children, women, men, and seniors. This aromatheraphy book also covers self-defense against microbes and contaminants, emotional challenges, care for the home and workplace, and applications for athletes, dancers, travelers, cooks, gardeners, and animal lovers. Worwood also offers us her expertise in the use of essential oils in beauty and spa treatments, plus profiles of 125 essential oils, 37 carrier oils, and more.An essential oils book classic for 25 years: Since the publication of the first edition of this book 25 years ago, the positive impact of essential oil use has become increasingly recognized, as scientific researchers throughout the world have explored essential oils and their constituents for their unique properties and uses.

Scott Cunningham shows the effects that essential oils and extracts have on our inner selves. The current knowledge of the physiological and psychological effects of natural fragrances are combined with the ancient art of magical perfumery. Learn how to use these tools to enhance psychic perception, help finances, attract love, and more. Over 200,000 copies sold.

As seen in Food52, Los Angeles Times, and BloombergTwo masters of composition - a chef and a perfumer - present a revolutionary new approach to creating delicious food. Michelin two-star chef Daniel Patterson and celebrated natural perfumer Mandy Aftel are experts at orchestrating ingredients. Yet in a world awash in cooking shows and food blogs, they noticed, home cooks get little guidance in the art of flavor. In this trailblazing guide, they share the secrets to making the most of your ingredients via an indispensable set of tools and principles: · The Four Rules for creating flavor · A Flavor Compass that points the way to transformative combinations · “Locking,” “burying,” and other aspects of cooking alchemy · The flavor-heightening effects of cooking methods · The Seven Dials that let you fine-tune a dish With more than eighty recipes that demonstrate each concept and put it into practice, The Art of Flavor is food for the imagination that will help cooks at any level to become flavor virtuosos.

Discover the joys of crafting your own unique and personal perfumes. Nancy Booth shows you how to pinpoint your fragrance preferences and design personalized products for both body and home. Learn how to use herbs, essential oils, natural plant extracts, and alcohol to create one-of-a-kind perfumes, sprays, colognes, and potpourris that not only smell great, but are free of harsh chemicals. With helpful tips on storing, packaging, and even marketing your products, you’ll be inspired to explore the aromatic world of homemade fragrance.

The olfactory journey described in this book introduces readers to the pleasures and benefits of educating and training the 'nose', our olfactory palate. Jennifer Peace Rhind explores the process of cultivating our sense of smell and demonstrates how the process itself can be therapeutic and enjoyable, as well as informative. She highlights the different skills involved, from olfactory vocabulary, awareness, and memory, through to discrimination and fragrance creation, and the activities that can help to acquire them, emphasizing the value of experiential learning. She describes the Japanese art of koh-do or the 'way of incense' and suggests ways of creating group events inspired by this. Based on her twenty five years' experience working with essential oils and aromatic plant extracts, she also leads the reader through a variety of scent families, with information on the botanical source, odour profiles, olfactory notes, and suggestions for comparison with other scents. This method of educating and training the 'nose' is fascinating, challenging and life-enhancing and will be of interest to anyone eager to develop their sense of smell, and of incalculable use to aromatherapy students and practitioners who must acquire these skills for their career.

Intended as a first year text, no prior knowledge of perfumery is assumed, and the authors provide integrated coverage of topics from raw materials to supermarket shelves, from science to creation and through to marketing and business policy. The power of fragrances to communicate is strongly emphasized and an explicit framework of vocabulary provided. Detailed discussion is included of the new product development proess and hte central role of the perfume brief. For this edition, all chapters have been revised and the book is intended for any writer or researcher wishing to consider any issues relating to fragranced products.

A text/reference regarding the structure and function of components used in perfume development and the process of developing perfumes. Covers gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and a host of other analytical techniques; the esthetics and techniques of perfume development; the manifold and ever-changing safety-related requirements of countries and customers; concerns about the environmental impact of materials and impurities which affect the perfumer's work.

Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, first published in 1960, is the classic, authoritative reference for a vast array of natural products used in perfumes, scents, flavorings, foods, and medicine throughout the world. Part One defines and describes processing methods used to extract or refine the products into usable form; Part Two includes more than 500 monographs on the natural raw materials used to produce perfumes, flavorings, etc. Appendices include a classification of important materials by their scent, and worldwide production figures for major products. Fully indexed, the book also includes 62 pages of photographs, making this one of the standard reference works on natural materials for perfumers, flavor chemists, and anyone wanting more information on these products. From the book's Preface: "Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin contains practical descriptions of available materials, their origin, production and processing, appearance, odor and flavor type, evaluation, application and availability with brief notes on their main constituents, replacements and most common adulterants.