'I've long wished perfumery to be taken seriously as an art, and for scent critics to be as fierce as opera critics, and for the wearers of certain "fragrances" to be hissed in public, while others are cheered. This year has brought Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, which I breathed in, rather than read, in one delighted gulp.' Hilary Mantel, GuardianPerfumes: The Guide is the culmination of Turin's lifelong obsession and rare scientific flair and Sanchez's stylish and devoted blogging about every scent that she's ever loved and loathed. Together they make a fine and utterly persuasive argument for the unrecognised craft of perfume-making. Perfume writing has certainly never been this honest, compelling or downright entertaining.
Perfumes
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Review
'I loved it and bought it for all my friends...very likely my favourite book of all time!'
--Joanne Harris - author of 'Chocolat'
`Instant classic...the first and only no-holds-barred assessment of what's behind the counters.' --Cosmetic News
`As scintillating as it is comprehensive... this pungent, entrancing book is a wake up call for the nostrils.' --The Independent
`Hugely engrossing...the writing is brilliant...gorgeous.' --Evening Standard
`The perfect gift for the scent addict in your life...witty and informative - and, occasionally, deliciously bitchy' --The Times
`Brilliant writing... I shall now spray on my favourite scents in quite a different frame of mind!' --Joanna Trollope
`Lyrical and acerbically witty compendium.' --The Times
`From riotous one-liners to elaborate reviews, fragrance experts Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez have written an authoritative guide to the best and worst scents.'
--Daily Express
`consistently entertaining... scathingly inventive bitchiness.' --Sunday Business Post
'I can't recommend it enough.' --Elle
'a staggeringly complete compilation of perfume reviews...ridiculously entertaining.' --Daily Mail
'dazzlingly comprehensive compendium...the writing is the olfactory equivalent of mouthwatering.' --Observer
'genuinely wonderful... the authors's sense of smell is amazing' --Daily Telegraph
'astonishingly brilliant and witty companion to all things fragrant.' --Spectator
'I was fascinated... a description of every perfume known to man, which sounds peculiar, but is mesmeric.' --Evening Standard Books of the year
`It's scents-sational!' --Rochelle Warner, Fabulous
`A wise investment and an addictive read.' --Gillian Nelis, Sunday Business Post
`Evocative and vivid... If you have a nose for a good book, buy this one.' --Anita Sethi, Independent on Sunday
`They're funny, bizarre, weird, hilarious writers.' --Alex Heminsley, BBC Radio 2 Claudia Winkleman
--Joanne Harris - author of 'Chocolat'
`Instant classic...the first and only no-holds-barred assessment of what's behind the counters.' --Cosmetic News
`As scintillating as it is comprehensive... this pungent, entrancing book is a wake up call for the nostrils.' --The Independent
`Hugely engrossing...the writing is brilliant...gorgeous.' --Evening Standard
`The perfect gift for the scent addict in your life...witty and informative - and, occasionally, deliciously bitchy' --The Times
`Brilliant writing... I shall now spray on my favourite scents in quite a different frame of mind!' --Joanna Trollope
`Lyrical and acerbically witty compendium.' --The Times
`From riotous one-liners to elaborate reviews, fragrance experts Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez have written an authoritative guide to the best and worst scents.'
--Daily Express
`consistently entertaining... scathingly inventive bitchiness.' --Sunday Business Post
'I can't recommend it enough.' --Elle
'a staggeringly complete compilation of perfume reviews...ridiculously entertaining.' --Daily Mail
'dazzlingly comprehensive compendium...the writing is the olfactory equivalent of mouthwatering.' --Observer
'genuinely wonderful... the authors's sense of smell is amazing' --Daily Telegraph
'astonishingly brilliant and witty companion to all things fragrant.' --Spectator
'I was fascinated... a description of every perfume known to man, which sounds peculiar, but is mesmeric.' --Evening Standard Books of the year
`It's scents-sational!' --Rochelle Warner, Fabulous
`A wise investment and an addictive read.' --Gillian Nelis, Sunday Business Post
`Evocative and vivid... If you have a nose for a good book, buy this one.' --Anita Sethi, Independent on Sunday
`They're funny, bizarre, weird, hilarious writers.' --Alex Heminsley, BBC Radio 2 Claudia Winkleman
Review
`Far more addictive than it has any right to be'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
71 of 73 people found the following review helpful
By Colin Roth
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Simon Savidge Reads
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I was then dubious about giving my book thoughts as I haven't read it from cover to cover. I was dubious about reading this book at first as I thought it would just be for girls... I was wrong. Could I be converted into the world of smells and scents by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez????
The answer is a resounding yes. From what I have read so far I know this book is one that I will be treasuring for quite sometime, hopefully for life. I am not the biggest perfume addict in the world and so really I am coming to this book from layman's terms. I would say that I've no idea about perfumes whatsoever, I like what I like and don't like what I don't like it's that simple. Imagine my thrill when the aftershave/cologne I wear gets a full 5 stars and the comment "buy it even if you never put it on" mind you its quite pricey so would be a waste just sitting there.
The writing of the book from Luca and Tania is brilliant, it's honest, blunt in parts, comic in others but most importantly it's accessible. There is an introduction to perfume criticism, a look at what male and female scents work, a history of perfume and also a whole twenty pages of readers questions answered. Whether you know nothing about perfume or heaps about it you can't help but be charmed by the reviews. One which had me in hysterics was a review of Paris Hilton's `Can Can' was simply "can it, by all means". The experts are never patronising and though some reviews are a little OTT you just think it's fabulous and carry on wanting to read more and more. And this book hasnt just been a hit with me, my partners loved it, guests have loved it... its a household hit!
The answer is a resounding yes. From what I have read so far I know this book is one that I will be treasuring for quite sometime, hopefully for life. I am not the biggest perfume addict in the world and so really I am coming to this book from layman's terms. I would say that I've no idea about perfumes whatsoever, I like what I like and don't like what I don't like it's that simple. Imagine my thrill when the aftershave/cologne I wear gets a full 5 stars and the comment "buy it even if you never put it on" mind you its quite pricey so would be a waste just sitting there.
The writing of the book from Luca and Tania is brilliant, it's honest, blunt in parts, comic in others but most importantly it's accessible. There is an introduction to perfume criticism, a look at what male and female scents work, a history of perfume and also a whole twenty pages of readers questions answered. Whether you know nothing about perfume or heaps about it you can't help but be charmed by the reviews. One which had me in hysterics was a review of Paris Hilton's `Can Can' was simply "can it, by all means". The experts are never patronising and though some reviews are a little OTT you just think it's fabulous and carry on wanting to read more and more. And this book hasnt just been a hit with me, my partners loved it, guests have loved it... its a household hit!
44 of 48 people found the following review helpful
By Becky Sharp
Format:Hardcover
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By AnnPan
Format:Paperback
I don't know what made me pick this book up in the bookshop - perhaps the curiously standout cover - but I haven't been able to put it down since! I wish I could write this well and this succinctly - the authors demonstrate the acute observation that is usually the preserve of great stand-up comedians and first rate novelists. The articles and reviews in this book are so intelligently and wittily written that I just kept reading in the bookshop and in the car before driving away with this book burning a hole in my bag. I have learned a great deal about perfume and its construction, but in some ways that is secondary to the book's brilliance. The authors are in such accord that the reviews flow seamlessly with no gear changes or jolts of differing styles - and they are a total joy to read. I laughed, I cried, I argued and agreed out loud and insisted members of my family listened to some of my favourites. A great book to read in great greedy gulps or parcel out for five minute dips ( if you are so disciplined) and, surprisingly good to read aloud.
One sour note - for the editor. It needs a proper index at the back. You should have made the authors do a more comprehensive glossary, the perfumes listed under their houses should be indexed by page number and not just allowed to rely so lazily on alphabetic indexing; great that you added it for the 2009 edition so why didn't you finish the job?
And Luca, I think you were a little hard on Miss Dior, but what do I know...
One sour note - for the editor. It needs a proper index at the back. You should have made the authors do a more comprehensive glossary, the perfumes listed under their houses should be indexed by page number and not just allowed to rely so lazily on alphabetic indexing; great that you added it for the 2009 edition so why didn't you finish the job?
And Luca, I think you were a little hard on Miss Dior, but what do I know...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Lady Fancifull
TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a gloriously hedonistic, decadently seductive book. Famous 'nose' and perfume scientist Turin and journalist and perfume adept Tania Sanchez have put together a gorgeous encyclopaedia of thousands of perfumes. It's a bit like the classic Egon Ronay guide to Hotels and restaurants, which would be lovingly pored over by hotel and restaurant afficionados, sensuously reading about luxury hotels across the world which they may or may not ever get to visit - only for those with an interest in perfumes.
There's no way I'm ever going to get to smell the literally thousands of fragrances they analyse but the wonderful descriptions, sharp observations and sheer hedonic bliss within these pages is an imaginative delight.
I've developed a pretty strong antipathy to most perfumes as many of them smell irreducably of synthetic stand alone perfume notes (much much cheaper to produce and reproduce) , eg rather than neroli,the ideally hand-picked flowers of the bitter orange tree, a splash of linalool, limonene, linayl acetate and other major constituents to produce an ersatz neroli note, but this book evocatively builds symphonies of aromas. It becomes almost possible to imagine notes you haven't yet encountered. Its far too rich for a cover to cover read, that would be olfactory overload, but like fine chocolate, rewards the dipping reader who slowly savours snippets of the text. rather than wolfs the whole bar down in one.
As well as an appreciation of perfumes themselves, Turin and Sanchez celebrate the whole experience of an appeal to the senses, which is reinforced (or diminished) by the shape, heft and colour of bottle and packaging.... Read more ›
There's no way I'm ever going to get to smell the literally thousands of fragrances they analyse but the wonderful descriptions, sharp observations and sheer hedonic bliss within these pages is an imaginative delight.
I've developed a pretty strong antipathy to most perfumes as many of them smell irreducably of synthetic stand alone perfume notes (much much cheaper to produce and reproduce) , eg rather than neroli,the ideally hand-picked flowers of the bitter orange tree, a splash of linalool, limonene, linayl acetate and other major constituents to produce an ersatz neroli note, but this book evocatively builds symphonies of aromas. It becomes almost possible to imagine notes you haven't yet encountered. Its far too rich for a cover to cover read, that would be olfactory overload, but like fine chocolate, rewards the dipping reader who slowly savours snippets of the text. rather than wolfs the whole bar down in one.
As well as an appreciation of perfumes themselves, Turin and Sanchez celebrate the whole experience of an appeal to the senses, which is reinforced (or diminished) by the shape, heft and colour of bottle and packaging.... Read more ›
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating read.
This is not only a perfume reference book but a great read. The authors clearly know and have great enthusiasm for their subject. Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. A. Tough
5.0 out of 5 stars
Informative but very amusing
It doesn't matter whether you agree with the authors with regards to the actual reviews, the way they describe the perfumes is both informative and in parts very amusing. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joanne Glass
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great reference book
I am a perfume addict so this book immediately gets my vote as being interesting but I also love the way it's written - it's informative, clever and quite amusing in lots of ways. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Eternita
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun
Don't take their opinion seriousely.
Take it as fun book to read because fragrance is really personal taste!
Otherwise you will want to buy too many bottles.......!!!!!
Take it as fun book to read because fragrance is really personal taste!
Otherwise you will want to buy too many bottles.......!!!!!
Published 2 months ago by y
2.0 out of 5 stars
expected a bit more
Is it me or are some reviews a bit too giddy! this was ok. May work better a book than a kindle, just as it's easier to flick through pages at a glance.....
Published 2 months ago by eve
5.0 out of 5 stars
Encyclopaedic + Funny
Worth buying for some of the hilarious reviews alone but the book's ability to educate newbies like me was second to none. Read more
Published 3 months ago by K
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely fun reference
I was inspired to purchase this book having seen it on display in my local Lush shop carefully page marked with all the Lush entries. Read more
Published 4 months ago by K. Humphries
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very comprehensive volume
This is a very large volume, and sets forth many perfumes, leaving out a few I was used to. However, it makes for rather amusing reading most of the time, and is well worth... Read more
Published 6 months ago by DotB
5.0 out of 5 stars
Briliant!
Funny and great! This is one of the best guides to anything ever published! Great for your ego if you already own some of their top tips.
Published 6 months ago by aapeboom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good comprehensive guide
Excellent guide to perfumes with well written descriptions. I bought a scent 'unseen' based on the recommendadtion and loved it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Vanessa
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