Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.77 (621 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1586857029 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-11-08 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
From Publishers Weekly To this most extraordinary treatise on the history and making of perfume, Aftel, a writer and aroma designer, brings sheer delight in the bouquet of aromas in the natural world, as well as a "love for arcana" and an irreverent sensibility that embraces "little-acknowledged" aphrodisiacs like the smell of sweat. Agent, Peter Matson. Smell is one of the most primal senses: even newborns orient first toward the smell of their mothers' milk. And world history is full of the manipulation of smell, she reveals, starting with the palace perfumers of ancient Egypt; the Israelite women who concocted essences for temple sacrifices; the Romans, who anointed nearly everything; the alchemists, who searched for the Divine Essence; all the way up to modern pheromone researchers who hope, finally, "to snare the sex drive
Renowned perfumer Mandy Aftel explores the primal nature and fundamental importance of aroma in everyday life, teaching people about the nature of smell and the idea of "olfactory consciousness" in Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume. < /p>
"An overview of perfume, but somewhat unfocused" according to Raine Daye. This book was an entertaining read, but it was hardly a good historical account of perfumery. It did have a brief overview at the beginning of the book, but it quickly goes into a collection of quotes and historical quirks about perfume. I think that the "alchemy" part of the book where the author repeatedly ties perf. sensuous With an increased intrest in essential oils and scents I have of late, been reading books on these subjects. I should actually say, flipping through books on the subject. Most are not very interesting and read like dry textbooks. Mandy Aftel's work is the first book that has been so inviting and full of information th. Fascinating! Delightful! Essence & Alchemy was a really wonderful adventure in reading. From the history of perfume to the process, old and new, involved in extracting essences, to the follow-along steps to creating your own perfume, I found this book to be entertaining and informative from the first page to the last. The comparison between p