I loved the author's attitude to the art of perfume making, but this book partly reads as a "how-to" book. But it does give you great insight into deconstructing the fragrance you wear. But for some, (me included part of the time), sometimes you just want to enjoy a beautiful scent, like a beautiful piece of art, without breaking it down beyond the sum of its parts.

I perhaps should have expected a book on perfume to waft about. Very emotional, romantic, idealistic writing. Which I was fine with actually. I appreciated and enjoyed her passion for perfume and her strongly held opinions on it, though I may not agree (I am fine with synthetic scents). And I personally wasn't bothered by the magic/alchemy bits either. But the way the information jumps around! I was reading aloud some parts to my boyfriend, and he asked for a definition of volatile. So I told him, something about how easily a substance evaporates. Then about 5 pages later a definition of volatile is given. 5 pages after the word! I thought, well either do that after the word first appears or don't define it at all. Just an example. The book does that sort of thing pretty often, but that's the example I told myself to remember. Other than it, she does tell you her perfume making process and recommendations for how to train your nose to appreciate scent. Those were the best parts of the book. Just wish it was written clearer and more succinctly! I am interested in the author's other books, written with a more specific idea. This book just being on perfume, generally, doesn't seem to have been doing the author favors, focuswise.

This is a pretty interesting book about smells. Nice smells. Written by an author who is passionate but, if I remember correctly, very slightly overbearing.

Loved the history of perfumery and alchemy explained and the list of classic scents provided and the list of equipment needed to get started really helped me get myself ready for my adventure

There is a lot of bizarre woo and an over reliance on long quotations, but useful information about perfume production, including fixation and composition in particular. Only so useful because of the author's poorly defended bias toward purely natural ingredients.

A wonder of old knowledge. I will be making my own scents now, yes thank you.

Very very interesting. Read it while re-reading Jitterbug perfume and at the same time we discovered http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/

The perfect book for anyone looking into natural perfumery!

Even though I'm more of an incense gal than a perfumista, Aftel's lovely prose helped me appreciate the wondrous history and power of scents: sexy, sweet, sublime, and even stinky. Should I ever feel a compulsion to play with essential oils, I'm glad to have found a well-read and enthusiastic guide in the recipes and guidance of Ms. Aftel.

Deep in my perfume fixation nothing else matters

This book gives the history of scent and the many ways that it is made and used.

I picked this up for the history of perfume part. Content-wise it was fine, but I found Aytoun Ellis's The essence of beauty : a history of perfume & cosmetics a more enjoyable read.

If I had been reading this as a how-to manual on sourcing and mixing essential oils to create my own compositions, I think I would have found it more useful.