Book of Perfume

Perfume

For centuries, people have taken what seems to be an instinctive pleasure in rubbing scents into their skin. Perfume has helped them to pray, to heal, and to make love. And as long as there has been perfume, there have been perfumers, or rather the priests, shamans, and apothecaries who were their predecessors.

Creative and sensual possibilities

Yet, in many ways, perfumery is a lost art, its creative and sensual possibilities eclipsed by the synthetic ingredients of which contemporary perfumes are composed, which have none of the subtlety and complexity of essences derived from natural substances, nor their lush histories. Essence and Alchemy resurrects the social and metaphysical legacy that is entwined with the evolution of perfumery, from the dramas of the spice trade to the quests of the alchemists to whom today's perfumers owe a philosophical as well as a practical debt.

Sanctums of worship

Mandy Aftel tracks scent through the boudoir and the bath and into the sanctums of worship, offering insights on the relationship of scent to sex, solitude, and the soul. Along the way, Mandy imparts instruction in the art of perfume compositions, complete with recipes, guiding the reader in a process of transformation of materials that continues to follow the alchemical dictum solve et coagula (dissolve and combine) and is itself aesthetically and spiritually transforming.

Mandy Aftel

Mandy Aftel, founder of Aftelier, creates one-of-a-kind perfumes for individuals and private labels, and is also a counselor who specializes in working with artists and writers. The author of three previous books, Mandy Aftel lives in Berkeley, California.

Essence and Alchemy

Essence and Alchemy: A Book of Perfume by Mandy Aftel
ISBN: 0865475539

More information

Cheap Fragrance

Met deze cd-rom kunt u vele uren genieten van de rijkdom van de Nederlandse geschiedenis en in het bijzonder van de prachtige kastelen en huizen die Nederland rijk is.

Deze cd-rom is een aanrader voor de liefhebber van Nederlandse kastelen.
Nederlandse kastelen