The latest special issue of Nez is From Plant To Essence: A World Tour Of Fragrant Raw Materials. "From Sicily to Laos, Paraguay to Madagascar, this book takes you on an incredible olfactory journey for a series of fascinating encounters with perfume plants, the producers who create fragrance essences, extracts and molecules, the perfumers who use them, and the iconic compositions in which you will find them. [...] Thirty chapters explore the diversity and richness of perfumery ingredients: their origins, cultivation, transformation and usage, as well as the innovations devised to address the environmental, economic and social challenges of today. 239 pages (bilingual) for $45 at Luckyscent.
The daily lemming
Two more ingredient-focused special issues of Nez: Blackcurrant Bud in Perfumery and Geranium In Perfumery. 96 pages for $25 each, at Luckyscent, where you'll also find lots of back issues (both the numbered issues, and special issues on Orris, Sandalwood, Orange Blossom, Vetiver, Patchouli, Jasmine, Rose and Narcissus).
Gripping olfactory history of the 20th century
The truth, as revealed in Karl Schlögel’s gripping olfactory history of the 20th century, is that both perfumes have roots in Tsarist Russia, in particular in a fragrance developed by two French perfumers, Ernest Beaux and Auguste Michel, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty in 1913. Le Bouquet Préféré de l’Impératrice (The Empress’s Favourite Bouquet) was ill fated, appearing only four years before the Bolshevik revolution put an end to the Romanovs and everything they stood for, but it inspired the creation of both Chanel No 5 and Red Moscow.
— Read more in The Scent of Empires by Karl Schlögel review – politics, power and perfume at The Guardian.
The daily lemming
Issue 10 of Nez is out: "The tenth issue of Nez examines the affinities between our nose and our mouth, perfumery, and cuisine. Nez is an invitation to explore the world through our olfactory sensations, adopting a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses art, literature, photography, science, history, gastronomy, and, of course, perfumery, providing its readers with a better understanding of the essential role the sense of smell plays in our lives." 160 pages, $29 at Luckyscent.
The Handbook of Great Italian Perfumery ~ book review
Hey Santa, looking for something to tuck into the sleigh for perfume lovers? Check out The Handbook of Great Italian Perfumery: Fifty years of exceptional scents by Marika Vecchiattini.
The Handbook of Great Italian Perfumery is a combination encyclopedia and compendium of reviews featuring fragrances from Italian perfume houses and fashion brands from the 1970s to the present. It’s both an engrossing read and a handy reference manual…