Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent

A beautifully written book! A poetic integration of sensuality, philosophy, and history. Fascinatingly describes the origins and technicalities behind the production of perfumes, essential oils and other fragrant essences. I inhaled this book (heheheh). You'll learn a lot about the five essences she discusses, and come to more deeply appreciate the sense of smell and all of the feelings and experiences it can elicit within us. I find myself now slowing down and truly relishing scents and exploring them more deeply. On a lighter note, I have a kindle, but I chose to buy the hardcover after seeing at a bookstore because it is simply gorgeous. A pleasure to hold and look at. With metallic detailing on the cover, it's very eye catching. The photo on Amazon doesn't do it justice. A hardcover copy enhanced the reading experience for me. The one star review listed is hogwash, I doubt the reviewer even read the book. Mandy is actually biased against synthetic fragrances. You don't have to be a fragrance hobbyist or connoisseur to enjoy this book and really benefit from it. Treat yourself or a loved one to this jewel!

What an amazing re-release of this important book, Fragrant. The new perfumes in the book and the way this book outlines how to make perfume using Aftel’s method is invaluable. This is a must have book for perfume lovers and perfumers both!

This is a great read for perfume lovers!

Beautiful book cover and inside. Love reading Mandy's books, well written and can't put it down. Lots of information from someone who loves what she does. I purchased Essence and Alchemy on kindle and order it with this one. Love that also.

I was hoping for something a bit less cerebral than Turin, but honest and useful on natural perfumery. I'd have liked to seen this purged down to about 50 pages, the rest was a bit of a ramble fest that is opinion and personal thought. It seemed to me to be written by an artist, not a writer; in need of edit. However, it has flashes of true brilliance and enjoyable information. Especially the historical recipes and historical information on antiquity. The recipe section is most useful. For that, I am thankful for this read.

A fascinating & fragrant history of scent and its role in our lives - from ancient myths to our everyday interactions with smells. Mandy's book is like stepping into another world, one filled with a magic and sensuality that brings a greater richness to the wonderful - and less wonderful - scents that pervade our lives. Well written and incredibly interesting, it is difficult to put down and hard to contain one's excitement when sharing it with anyone and everyone nearby.

I loved this book, it is beyond fascinating! Mandy is a very original thinker and superb writer. I recommend Fragrant to people all the time, whether they're interested in perfume or history or our sense of smell, and they love it! It's like a lens that reveals a fantastically rich part of our world that is so often overlooked, highly recommended!

I did like this book. Great info on ingredients. Did tend to go on in places, but worth the read

I do like Mandy Aftel's writing - if you make or like fragrant things for noses, you should like this. A very easy to read style without repetition or condescension, which is quite unusual in books I've found about perfume in the last ten years.

coincide con lo deseado, la pena es que aún no lo hayan publicado en castellano para evitar traducir el texto

This is a book for anyone trying to understand natural perfumery

this writer is so great, she has inspired me so much. If you are at all interested in the history of perfume, this is the book for you.

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