“All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was.” – Ernest Hemingway
Every perfume is a story in odor, sometimes poetry in memory. It is more than extraction, it is a presence in abstraction, and it is a mystique.
To learn more about perfumes we present a love letter to all perfume lovers, aficionados and enthusiasts.
Hope this list finds you well and that you discover something new.
1. Information Guide Books
a. Perfumes: The A-Z Guide:
The most famous and oblivious choice for any fragrance enthusiast and a great starting point. In this book, you will find more than 1500 fragrances reviewed by Turin and Sanchez.
b. The Secret of Scent by Luca Turin:
A wonderful exploration of the world of aroma-molecules and their scents. Could the shape of a molecule determine its smell? Or is it vibration? Luca Turin explores these topics in his vibrant prose.
c. Scent and Subversion: Decoding A Century of Provocative Perfume by Barbara Herman:
In this book, Herman includes descriptions of more than 300 perfumes, setting them into the context of their era. She also includes perspectives from fragrance creators and artists, and her exploration of fragrances are accompanied by perceptive insights into marketing and advertising.
d. Perfume: In Search of Your Signature Scent by Neil Chapman:
Neil created this book as a guide for all those in search of a signature scent. Fragrances are organized in categories such as genres, most dominant notes, and age.
e. The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell by Rachel Herz:
In this book, we learn why some people like certain smells, while others don’t. Furthermore, learn how does smell affect our choices in our daily life. These are the tip of the iceberg of themes and topics which you’ll learn in this book. That’s why it’s a definite must-check.
2. Fiction Novels:
We all have our time machines, don’t we? Some take us down the memory lane some push us forward. Friction novels are best therapy for us novel lovers and its cheery on top when the fiction is related to perfumes.
Here’s some must read friction novels
a. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind:
In this novel, Suskind explores what happens to the one man’s greatest passion which turns into a murder on his journey to create the ultimate perfume.
b. The Perfume Burned His Eyes by Michael Imperioli:
An excellent coming-of-age tale which will make you wonder is this a story or an autobiography.
c. The Scent Keeper: A Novel by Erica Bauermeister:
We follow Emmeline who lives with her dad on an island where he teaches her about the world through her senses.
3. Perfume Industry Insights
It is always good to learn more about your hobby. Especially from people who have mastered in this field. Know the history, processes, the chemistry, etc.
If you are a person who wants to know more about this kind of topic. Here’s a list for you’ll perfume lovers.
a. The Essence of Perfume by Roja Dove:
This is the first book by perfume professor, historian, and storyteller behind the Roja Dove brand. He poured his body and soul in this visually stunning book which is more an experience than a basic read.
b. The Diary of a Nose: A Year in the Life of a Parfumier by Jean-Claude Ellena:
Learn what’s a day to day lifelike of Hermes exclusive perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. He kept a diary for one year straight while working for Hermes, and described himself as a writer while explaining how all our senses work when creating a perfume.
c. The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History of the World’s Most Famous Perfume by Tilar J Mazzeo:
Among other Chanel Perfumes learning about Chanel No. 5 is must if you are taking this hobby seriously. Tilar does a great job of revealing the history of this seductive masterpiece.
d. Christian Dior: The Spirit of Perfumes by multiple authors:
Learn more about Dior’s perfumes, Christian’s youth and his success in the fashion world. Among the authors are also late Edmond Roudnitska and the current Dior in-house perfumer Francois Demachy.
4. Natural Perfumery and DIY:
a. The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood:
What you’ll find is more than 800 recipes for essential oil treatments. It’s a positive guide that will also teach you about essential oil’s unique properties and uses which can be used in perfumery as well.
b. Essence & Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume by Mandy Aftel:
Natural perfumer, Mandy Aftel explores the idea of how scents work, and how in many ways perfumery is a lost art.
These are the choices we preferred and decided to pen them down in the love letter for our perfume lovers. We know there could have been other books included as well.
But we decided to keep it shorter and present only the top important books on perfumes. Quality over quantity always prevails. And here we present you the list of best of best books on perfumes.
We want to know what are your favorite books about perfume and have we included it into this list?
Have we skipped anything you thought was important? Leave a comment.
Happy Reading & sent bon!
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