Perfume Books

A selection of books about perfumes, its history, reviews or aromatic properties

22 Perfumers, A Creative Proces book by Clara Molloy

One of the most interesting perfume books I have come across this year is 22 Perfumers, A Creative process. In this book 22 Perfumers are interviewed, including Olivier Cresp, Francis Kurkdjian, Francoise Caron and Jacques Cavallier. Although it costs 69 euro excluding postage, 22 Perfumers is really worth its price.

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The book provides information you cannot find elsewhere as most of the perfumers in the book rarely give interviews. The ones I enjoyed most were with the interview with Calice Becker where she explains about the creation of Dior J´Adore and her special relationship with this perfume.

The interview with Sophia Grosjman impressed me most. She is the perfumer of many popular fragrances like Lancome Tresor, Yves Saint Laurent Paris, Eternity Calvin Klein and Estee Lauder White Linen. The life story of Sophia Grosjman is truly amazing, being born in the former Soviet Union, fleeing to Poland to immigrate in the United States, starting to work at IFF in New York and becoming a female perfumer. Her story was very inspiring and made want me to scent her fragrances again. Perfumes like Tresor, Paris and Eternity which have become so familiar to us as they are sold in local drugstores nowadays. The way they became famous, was quite special on its own.

Fragrances from the television commercials like J´Adore, Paris and Tresor are put into a whole new perspective by these interviews. They have added depth and a new dimension to them.

Did I miss any perfumers in the book ? Yes, two of my favorite perfumers: Pierre Bourdon perfumer of many fragrances but one of his most famous Davidoff Cool Water and Eduard Flechier, perfumer of Dior Poison. But the list of renowned and gifted perfumers gives a good insight on its own of the work of these 22 perfumers including Maurice Roucel, Christine Nagel and Olivier Cresp.

Interviewed perfumers are: Michel Almairac, Calice Becker, Carlos Benaim, Francoise Caron, Jacques Cavallier, Olivier Cresp, Francois Demachy, Jean-Michel Duriez, Jean-Claude Ellena, Sophia Grosjman, Jean-Paul Guerlain, Francis Kurkdjian, Sophie Labbe, Mathilde Laurent, Alienor Massenet, Annick Menardo, Alberto Morillas, Christine Nagel, Jacques Polge, Olivier Polge, Dominique Ropion and Maurice Roucel.

22 Perfumers can be ordered via the website of Memo Fragrances. The book comes in French and English. It was printed in October 2007.

http://memofragrances.com/en/books/70-22-perfumers-a-creative-process.html

Disclosure: own acquisition

Published: August 23, 2013

Updated: March 29, 2015

Scent & Subversion by Barbara Herman Book Review

The book Scent & Subversion is a small encyclopaedia of vintage perfumes with short but rather complete historic backgrounds, perfume notes and adds, giving a good idea of what some fragrances used to scent like before they were altered and why some of them were such ground breaking fragrances at their time. Barbara Herman published her book in 2013.

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It is not a book you read as a novel but more from time to time when you want some information and insight in certain periods or learn about certain vintage perfumes, ranging from the Icons of Modernity Guerlain Jicky, Fougere Royale (1882-1919) to Water, Water everywhere CK One, L’eau D’Issey (1990-2000).

Scent and Subversion is a book for people starting to like perfumes or hard core vintage lovers looking for comprehensive information about certain periods or fragrances.

I love reading it from time to time when a certain fragrance pops up on Ebay/Dutch Marktplaats and find it an excellent resource.

Available through: Amazon, Amazon.co.uk

Origin of book: my own

Rating: 5/5.

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