Commentary/review

Very pleasant and informative. The book contains a lot of trivia about perfume, mostly from culture (extensive, interesting excerpts from other literary works) and history. Every chapter offers a short workshop in perfume making. The Author is especially fond of solid perfume and the book contains a lot of useful information about making it (the proportions, the yellow wax, the jojoba oil trick, the risks and some info about universal notes).

There is a complete and palpable lack of science here. No mention of bacteria, allergies, scientific papers. It is all in the title and the effect was deliberate. I think it is how it should be. A very interesting take though. It caters to the modern reader who takes advantage of retail availability of ingredients but wishes to travel into the past. It is especially interesting given the contents of the last chapter about meditation on scent and preserving ones memories in perfume.

I think the narrator should speak better French but she still made an effort. The style is warm, relaxed and perfectly paced.

A graphically informative cover, delivering on the promise and addressed to the savvy. Not very legible though.

Cover photo by Kevin Woblick on Unsplash