What follows is a very brief compilation of reading suggestions to get you through the cold, dark days of winter. Five handpicked books, warmly recommended to the budding perfume enthusiast who wishes to learn more about the object of their passion.
Category: novels
Some have argued it’s a classic of contemporary German literature, I’ll stick to the assertion that it’s a very rewarding read: Perfume by Patrick Süskind should be part of everyone’s collection indeed.
Patrick Süskind
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
available from various publishers. Penguin Books (UK) will issue a new pocket edition in January 2006
Category: coffee-table books
The Book of Perfume by Elizabeth Barillé and Catherine Laroze is one of the most charming books to browse through on a rainy Sunday morning.
Elizabeth Barillé and Catherine Laroze
The Book of Perfume
transl: Tamara Blondel
Paris: Flammarion (1995)
Category: non-fiction
For a better understanding of the psychology of odor, read Smell: The Secret Seducer by Piet Vroon. It’s a clear and well-structured book on the importance of olfaction in everyday life and the impact of scent in human behavior. I assume the English translation is as easily accessible as the Dutch original.
Piet Vroon, Anton van Amerongen, and Hans de Vries
Smell: The Secret Seducer
translation by Paul Vincent
New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (1997)
Category: non-fiction
Another book I’ve reviewed earlier is The Emperor of Scent: if you really don’t care for scientific theories, skip the technical bits and concentrate on the wonderful perfume descriptions. Chandler Burr and Luca Turin are names to remember.
Chandler Burr
The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession, and the Last Mystery of the Senses
New York: Random House (2002)
Category: reference books
I’ve saved the hardest choice for last. Some books in this category are far too expensive to include in a beginners list, while others are outdated, discontinued, not available in English, or simply not good enough. All things considered, my final vote goes to Fabulous Fragrances by Jan Moran: it features a very decent inventory of fragrance profiles for masculine and feminine perfumes, and it’s good value for money. Make sure you look for version II.
Jan Moran
Fabulous Fragrances II: A Guide to Prestige Perfumes for Women and Men
La Quinta, CA: Crescent House Publishing (2000)
See also: Building a fragrance library: five suggestions for advanced readers, the Perfume Books page.
Note: image is mountain of books [cropped] by ginnerobot at flickr; some rights reserved.
6 Comments
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Thanks for these suggestions — I've been considering a reference book. I wish there was a great one published more recently than 2000. I also wish, based on the excerpts I've seen, that Luca Turin would update and publish Le Guide in English!
hi Marchlion,
personally, I fear that the days of the traditional reference book (with perfume descriptions à la Jan Moran) may well be counted. Authors like Moran and Michael Edwards took the plunge and went online, which is the only way to compete with other sources in terms of speed. For reviews or descriptions of recently released fragrances, the internet is a wonderful place; having said that, you do need to know your way around the Net. In my view, there's nothing like a well-written, well-produced book; so I hope that time will prove me wrong…
Wonderful list, Marcello! I always find myself eager to read what you recommend. Have a wonderful new year celebration and best of luck to you for 2006!
I would like to mention another book, a novel really, by a suspense/romance novelist, Jennifer Blake, called Wildest Dreams. It's about a woman from New Orleans whose ancestor from 100 yrs. before discovers a new scent — very good reading! It has a good background on the general aspects of perfume research/production.
What? no Turin and Sanchez? FRAGRANCES the A-Z Guide?! It is out now in paperback updated 2009. There are earlier editions incl. some older hardbacks. This is the book responsible for me being right here on this website! Just Fascinating and Entertaining too.
This article was written in 2005.