The Cultures of Perfume: Scents that Shaped History

The Cultures of Perfume is an illustrated field guide to 36 scent notes and the fascinating history of humanity’s relationship with smell.

How do Las Vegas casinos convey the sensation of fresh water in the middle of a desert? What is the connection between unripe produce and the new popularity of green-smelling perfumes? And why do we love putting these scents and more on our skin?

Through historical research, anecdotes, and folk knowledge, Saskia Wilson-Brown explores perfume as an art form, tracing its cultural, political, economic, and psychological dimensions from ancient scent-making to the modern perfume industry.

Each chapter includes recommendations for exploring scents from independent brands.

• Written by Saskia Wilson-Brown
• Dimensions: 7 x 2 x 9.5 in
• 256 pages