A sensual history of perfume. Interesting!
Several examples of perfume mixology I will experiment with.

Interesting book, although the constant references to alchemy, change and magic become tiresome after the first few pages; so tiresome that i'm giving this a mere two stars or ok if you need a translation. However, there is some refreshing information on the history of perfumery as well as pertinent information on essential oils and their attributes, as well as useful listings of internet resources, suppliers, and what is needed for a beginner to start creating their own essences. Ok.

I eventually lost interest and stopped reading this book.

This came as an unexpected gem. I was so impressed with this book. Initially I was nervous that it was going to be heavy on jargon and read like a research paper, but it was nothing like that. Aftel did a great job explaining the jargon, the history of perfume and it's relation to alchemy while sewing it together with a such sensual writing that it was really a joy to read. Also, her bibliography is incredible! If you're doing research in metaphysics, religion, botany, pharmacology, sexuality or olfactory-related biology, you'd most likely benefit from looking over her bibliography. She also teaches you how to make perfumes and how to develop your nose.

A good starter book with some nice history and background, but not as much formulation info as I had hoped.

Practical guide for the beginning/aspiring perfumer as well as philosophical/sensory discussion of scent and psychology, evocation of memory and associations, the importance and aesthetics of smell. Using the metaphor of alchemy, Aftel describes the history and significance of smell to human culture (spirituality, sexuality, adornment, etc) as well as perfumery's alchemical science and art.

n  "To be immersed in a scent world, even just temporarily, is to shift your consciousness and awaken to the moment more fully."n

stepping into perfumery (made my first solid perfume just today based off of a formula in this very book, actually) and this was a lovely introduction both in how to familiarise yourself with the craft, and with the great and textured history behind it. can't wait to go back over it with a highlighter and some sticky pads for annotations.

This was a fantastic introduction to the history of perfume making that was full of historical references and beautiful poetry of aromatic experiences. I learned quite a lot from this book, and it also reinforced what I already knew from my own experience. There are a good many fragrance blend recipes in here which I hope to experiment with one day.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the blatant bias against synthetic ingredients. The amount of plant material needed for essential oil creation isn’t sustainable, synthetics are needed to fill in the gaps for the demand. This is a discussion the author did not engage in other than comments here and there about synthetics being poor representation of the original. Sure, but not everyone can afford expensive essential oils nor can we sustain the enterprise environmentally. There’s room for both natural and synthetic oils in perfumery and I wish the author had discussed this more.

Read this book as an intro to perfumery and scent. Enjoyed the narrative and information there. Not a recipe book by any means but a good read.

If you are interested in this topic, this is a good book with lots of illustrations.

I found this really interesting. I’m dipping my toes in the waters of perfume making and this was an intriguing and fascinating start to learning about the magical properties of scent!

This is a cross between a layman's textbook on perfume (including resources for the beginning perfumer, and a recipe to create as you progress through the book) and a philosophical treatise on the intersections of perfume with alchemy, spirituality, and sex. It covers the history of perfumery fairly widely, but not in great depth.

I'd buy a copy of this purely for the bibliography.