This is why I love working in publishing. A brown jiffy bag was delivered to my address today. I hadn't done any Internet shopping (recently), barely knew anyone living in Wales (the postcode) and couldn't wait to get home once I'd been told about its arrival. A mystery parcel. Tearing the package open, I found this:
A present from my friend, Sorrel. We'd chatted about the book a week or so ago and she'd spontaneously decided to gift me a copy. Isn't it gorgeous? Look at that jacket! Beautiful, bold yet understated design. This is a 'tasting guide' to the perfumes of the world, written by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez and published by Profile Books. Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to gen up on the perfume bottle that sits on YOUR dressing table, but it is brilliantly entertaining and full of opinion. Poison was the perfume that defined my youth - the overpowering scent of the Eighties. People learned to hate it, and you might think it would be derided in a book such as this. You'd think wrong. It receives five stars and a glorious description: 'Reviewing Poison is a bit like road-testing an Abrams M1 tank in the evening rush hour ... Every perfume collector has to have this, but please never, ever wear it to dinner.' There are other surprises. 'Believe' by Britney Spears receives three stars and is described as 'a well-put-together tart-and-sweet sherbet accord, which holds itself together better than Ms. Spears.' This is no tome of gratuitous snobbery, which makes me love it even more.
But, really. It's the essays on classic perfumes that are the most fascinating to read. We all know that Chanel No. 5 is a classic. Did you know that Chanel have bought their own jasmine and rose fields for this perfume? Beautiful writing describes this immortal perfume I first remember wearing when I 'borrowed' the bottle my mum never used: 'a masterpiece of modernist sculpture from 1921, one you can wear. And some people think perfume is not art.'
A gorgeous volume, with a spine that creaks satisfyingly as the book is opened. Thick, creamy pages. An embossed cover and burnt orange endpapers. I'm no luddite - I embrace the age of iPhone apps and ebooks. (Well, not quite ebooks yet.) They satisfy their own part of a reader's world. But nothing can ever replace the delight of a heavy hardback book making your wrist ache. And the personality of 'Perfumes - The Guide'! No editor advised the authors to rein in their opinions for fear of offending the world of influential perfumers. Two intelligent, educated writers brought us a unique view of a world most of us glimpse only at department store counters. We no longer need to fear those women in white coats and glossy lipstick smiles who steer us towards that bottle of something pungent that we're not sure we really want. We can read this book and choose scents that may stay with us for our lives.
It's a book about smell. Ever lifted a new book to your face, closed your eyes to sniff the crisp pages? Thought so. It's all part of the same mix. It's using our senses. It's why books will never die.
A present from my friend, Sorrel. We'd chatted about the book a week or so ago and she'd spontaneously decided to gift me a copy. Isn't it gorgeous? Look at that jacket! Beautiful, bold yet understated design. This is a 'tasting guide' to the perfumes of the world, written by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez and published by Profile Books. Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to gen up on the perfume bottle that sits on YOUR dressing table, but it is brilliantly entertaining and full of opinion. Poison was the perfume that defined my youth - the overpowering scent of the Eighties. People learned to hate it, and you might think it would be derided in a book such as this. You'd think wrong. It receives five stars and a glorious description: 'Reviewing Poison is a bit like road-testing an Abrams M1 tank in the evening rush hour ... Every perfume collector has to have this, but please never, ever wear it to dinner.' There are other surprises. 'Believe' by Britney Spears receives three stars and is described as 'a well-put-together tart-and-sweet sherbet accord, which holds itself together better than Ms. Spears.' This is no tome of gratuitous snobbery, which makes me love it even more.But, really. It's the essays on classic perfumes that are the most fascinating to read. We all know that Chanel No. 5 is a classic. Did you know that Chanel have bought their own jasmine and rose fields for this perfume? Beautiful writing describes this immortal perfume I first remember wearing when I 'borrowed' the bottle my mum never used: 'a masterpiece of modernist sculpture from 1921, one you can wear. And some people think perfume is not art.'
A gorgeous volume, with a spine that creaks satisfyingly as the book is opened. Thick, creamy pages. An embossed cover and burnt orange endpapers. I'm no luddite - I embrace the age of iPhone apps and ebooks. (Well, not quite ebooks yet.) They satisfy their own part of a reader's world. But nothing can ever replace the delight of a heavy hardback book making your wrist ache. And the personality of 'Perfumes - The Guide'! No editor advised the authors to rein in their opinions for fear of offending the world of influential perfumers. Two intelligent, educated writers brought us a unique view of a world most of us glimpse only at department store counters. We no longer need to fear those women in white coats and glossy lipstick smiles who steer us towards that bottle of something pungent that we're not sure we really want. We can read this book and choose scents that may stay with us for our lives. It's a book about smell. Ever lifted a new book to your face, closed your eyes to sniff the crisp pages? Thought so. It's all part of the same mix. It's using our senses. It's why books will never die.
Thank you for yr mail! I've actually wanted this book for ages. Might have to call Profile! xxx