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Perfumes: The A-Z Guide
 
 
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Perfumes: The A-Z Guide [Paperback]

Luca Turin , Tania Sanchez
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Perfumes: The A-Z Guide + The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell + The Little Book of Perfumes: The 100 classics
Price For All Three: £20.21

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Product details

  • Paperback: 624 pages
  • Publisher: Profile Books; First Thus edition (22 Oct 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1846681278
  • ISBN-13: 978-1846681271
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13.8 x 4.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 40,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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

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.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

40 Reviews
5 star:
 (24)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing honesty and splendid wit, 27 Sep 2008
By 
Colin Roth (Sheffield, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Scent of Success, 13 Dec 2009
By 
Simon Savidge Reads "Simon" (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Perfumes: The A-Z Guide (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!
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41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for handbags and manbags alike!, 9 Sep 2008
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.
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