The Little Book of Perfumes: The Hundred Classics by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez is now available for pre-order at the major online bookstores (delivery around 10/27):
Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez’s highly praised Perfumes: The Guide included more than 1,800 perfumes, both good and bad, masculine and feminine, new and old, cheap and expensive. THE LITTLE BOOK OF PERFUMES: The Hundred Classics (Viking; On-sale October 31, 2011; 9780670023103; $18.00) is devoted purely to those fragrances that earned their highest praise, the “masterpiece” rating. Stunningly produced, this petite volume concentrates on ninety-six top fragrances and four legendary scents preserved only in the French museum of perfume, the Osmothèque. It makes the perfect gift for anyone searching for a brilliant fragrance—or just a brilliant read.
[...] While THE LITTLE BOOK OF PERFUMES celebrates such masterpieces of the perfumer’s art, it also sounds a warning: just as the four great historical perfumes described within are gone forever, the other ninety-six may be at risk too. Many perfumes are changing, some for the better but more often for the worse, due to negligence, penny-pinching, extraordinary regulatory decisions, misguided modernization and all the other shifts that can take your favorite perfume away from you forever.
So is your long-loved favorite still great? Turin and Sanchez weigh in on which classic perfumes are still worth hunting down, which new fragrances are destined to be remembered for years to come, which are better than ever and which seem on the decline. THE LITTLE BOOK OF PERFUMES is your guide to the beautiful, diverse, and controversial world of classic fragrances, before they’re gone forever.
If you're wondering what is different from your copy of Perfumes: The Guide or the paperback version, Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, here is Tania Sanchez on the subject:
Material is mostly taken from our original Perfumes: The Guide and Perfumes:The A-Z Guide, with 96 five-star reviews from those two editions.
A good number of those reviews have re-smelling notes appended, since many many older fragrances have been recently adjusted with new materials, which have changed the balance in some and utterly changed the character in others. Some current bottlings we were unable to get in time, unfortunately.
The new material includes a foreword by TS and an essay on the Osmothèque by LT; there are four reviews of long-lost, beautiful Osmothèque perfumes we tested during a presentation on perfume by the brilliant Patricia de Nicolaï, curator of the Osmothèque, at the French Embassy in Washington, DC, organized by Smithsonian Associates.
We'll be doing another Question & Answer with the authors in early November (if you missed the first, see here).
(top quote via press release, 2nd quote via honeyandthunder)
Four long lost perfumes… Hmm. Would I want to smell them to experience the history? But what if they’re stunningly gorgeous and then I’d be haunted by more unattainable perfumes. While this sounds like a nice reference book, I worry enough already about the state of perfumes I love and already have a pretty good list of vintages I’d like to find or endangered formulations. On the fence.
I would smell them, yes, and then want them and be disappointed
I thought that synopsis was an annoying reminder that some of the 96 supposedly available masterpieces have been discontinued or completely reformulated out of contention between the publishing of the first Guide and today. I can think of a dozen without trying … suppose we could turn that into a game!
Also, the latest Guide featured exactly 96 5-star perfumes so don’t expect anything new except for the four “forgottens.”
Now I read the rest of the article and I see my comment is redundant. Oh well.
I suppose the last guide book would become out-of-date quickly for purposes of recommending new releases, so maybe that’s another good reason to releasing a “best of.”
I believe also that some of the 96 are updated. But don’t know how many.
I have a publicity copy – maybe 20% of the reviews are updated for 2011, IIRC. (Didn’t count.) Scents which have updates are things like Diorella, Diorissimo, and No. 5.
Thanks, I have not seen one yet!
Still didn’t go back to count, but Dimitri at Sorcery of Scent says it’s about 40% that are updated.
I would love it if they came out with an entirely new book with reviews of new releases and more niche stuff – I would buy it in a heartbeat. Since I have the original hardcover and the paperback of The Guide, this just won’t have enough new information for me to justify purchasing this.
A niche book would be awesome.
Agree in spades.
Yes, yes, yes. Although some niche lines were included in The Guide, I’d love to see a source review more of these in depth.
I do miss the quarterly updates, but not sure they were cost-effective to produce.
I agree!!! I had a few email exchanges with LT some months ago about this. Seems they are focused on other things at the moment…but never say never! I also have copies of both books, and would LOVE another version. Perhaps if we campaign and shower them with $ and gifts?
I’m with you all on this!
For bottle fans i see a new coffee table book was published last month in Europe & 1st October in the US – ”GLAMOUR ICONS:Perfume bottle Design” by Marc Rosen, at a coffee table price of $85 – had a flick through in my local store & looked quite good
Thanks!
The book will also be available at your local independent book store!
As is Glamour Icons….(at least the one I work at :-))
I also have the original hardback and the softcover. I don’t think I need this book for myself. However, I do see myself buying 5 copies to give to my best girlfriends for Christmas. Maybe I can turn one or more of them into a perfumista! I need a local “sniffing buddy” to share my obsession!
I hear you! At best, my friends in town will go through the process of buying ONE perfume for themselves, say at the Perfume Shoppe with me, and then they don’t understand why they would need a second perfume. sigh…
I miss having a real time perfume buddy to sniff and shop with. Anyone live near Dallas?
Sorry, I’m too far away. Is anyone near Phoenix?
I’m in Tempe.
YellowLantern, we must find a way to continue this conversation outside of this thread!
I have fairly old bottles of three of the historic scents (L’Origan, Chypre, And Emeraude) but I have never smelled Iris Gris.
Planning to post a review of The Little Book this week, if anyone wants more detail.
And really looking forward to the Q & A here!
Mals, you certainly hit the nail on the head in your teaser for the upcoming review by noting that those who already have a copy of the Guide won’t need the new book, whereas those who have BOTH the hard copy and paperback versions will have to have it. I preordered on Amazon back in July.
I have both copies of the guide, and I appreciate the LTS style very much. I miss the updates, and the NZZ perfume column.
BUT, the subject they tackle is even better: how masterpieces have changed and why is something I can’t wait to read. On paper. Such topic and their witty pens, I can already imagine the fireworks!!!
It will be a wickedly delighting winter night read.
Oh dear — I had to order myself a copy (and a copy of the original one! Can’t believe I hadn’t ordered it!)
Hmmm…and Christmas is coming up, too…
I was at the seminars with LT, TS and PdN at the French Embassy and got a set of scent strips with the Osmotheque scents. It was an amazing experience. If you ever, ever have a chance to sniff these recreations, DO IT!!!!! I’ll be very interested to read what they have to say about them in this new book.
I was supposed to go to that seminar, but got blizzarded out and I couldn’t make it for the rescheduled date.
Oh, no, RusticDove! It would have been so nice to meet you, also.
I am planning to get this book in Kindle version. I am very curious what is the LT/TS take on some of the recent butcheries/reformulations. I hope they do another Osmothèque event one day, DC or elsewhere. I had the tickets for the original date, Feb 6 last year (my birthday, incidentally) but it was canceled because of Snowmageddon. Then I had to wait a few months just to find out it was rescheduled for a date in October which was exactly the same Saturday one of our best friends was getting married on, couple of state lines away. We went to the wedding, of course. I would like to at least read about what I missed…
Oh, no, Akimon! I would have been sorely tempted to fake illness and sneak off to the seminar – I hope they realize what a true friend you are!