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Essence and Alchemy: A Book of Perfume, by Mandy Aftel
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An artisan perfumer reveals a lost art and its mysterious, sensual history.
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. 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. 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, she 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.
- Sales Rank: #820066 in Books
- Published on: 2001-06-20
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: .98" h x 5.73" w x 8.59" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 272 pages
From Publishers Weekly
To this most extraordinary treatise on the history and making of perfume, Aftel, a writer and aroma designer, brings sheer delight in the bouquet of aromas in the natural world, as well as a "love for arcana" and an irreverent sensibility that embraces "little-acknowledged" aphrodisiacs like the smell of sweat. Smell is one of the most primal senses: even newborns orient first toward the smell of their mothers' milk. And world history is full of the manipulation of smell, she reveals, starting with the palace perfumers of ancient Egypt; the Israelite women who concocted essences for temple sacrifices; the Romans, who anointed nearly everything; the alchemists, who searched for the Divine Essence; all the way up to modern pheromone researchers who hope, finally, "to snare the sex drive." Aftel traces this history with witty anecdotes (Ben Franklin's plea for a drug to make sweet-smelling farts, Petrus Castellus's advice to rub civet directly on the penis) and well-chosen alchemical and botanical illustrations. After this seductive introduction, she shifts into the how-to mode, discussing the actual making of a scent, a process of selecting certain "base notes," adding "heart notes" and finally the "top chords." Her emphasis is on experimenting, and developing an "olfactory consciousness." Since organically based perfumes interact with the wearer, they must be designed for a particular user, not vice versa, as with commercial, synthetically based products. Aftel provides some sample formulas and concludes with a roundup of romantic, bathing and spiritual uses of perfumes. Agent, Peter Matson.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Even for those of us who may not be inspired to try our hand at the venerable art of the parfumier, this book has much to offer: fascinating facts about the history of perfume, its links with the ancient art of alchemy and the roles it has played in many cultures . . . Aftel proves an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide." --Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times
"Rarely has the glory of the sense of smell reached such heights as in the imaginative mind of sensory superstar Mandy Aftel." --Annette Green, President, Fragrance Foundation
From the Inside Flap
Introduction Chapter 1 The Spirit of the Alchemist: A Natural History of Perfume Chapter 2 Prima Materia: Perfume Basics Chapter 3 The Calculus of Fixation: Base Notes Chapter 4 Aromatic Stanzas: Heart Notes Chapter 5 The Sublime and the Volatile: Head Notes Chapter 6 An Octave of Odors: The Art of Composition Chapter 7 Flacon de Seduction: Perfume and the Boudoir Chapter 8 Perfumed Waters: The Reverie of the Bath Chapter 9 Aromatics of the Gods: Perfume and the Soul Supplies for the Beginning Perfumer Notes Bibliography Acknowledgments Index
Most helpful customer reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Has good information for beginners but can be a difficult read
By Justin Beasley
It is worth purchasing and reading for the beginning natural, artistry perfumer or kitchen witch but probably not going to be an easy read for empirically minded chemistry types.
This is a book by Mandy Aftel, the artist and professional perfumer. It is about her personal "alchemy" as it relates to the art of perfumery as she sees it. This is not an alchemy or science based perfumery text. It's one artisans personal and practical philosophy on the artistry of perfume making with some perfume history and practical information to be gleaned by the eager or tolerant and patient reader.
Despite the authors extensive use of hyperbole and lack of clear organization of some of the material there is a lot to be gleaned from this book for beginners who aren't ready to dive head first into expensive or hard to find archaic perfumery texts or chemistry tomes. There are some tables of useful information that clearly outline which oil combinations are historically harmonious or that she finds harmonious and offers some simple formulas, harmonies and accords for the beginning perfumer to start with - although you will need at least $200-$300 worth of materials which you might already mostly have.
This book is about perfumery and how to blend perfumes from traditional "natural" materials (essential oils, absolutes, concretes, natural fixatives and animal products predominantly) for beginning perfumers. It seems like most of the material in this book is aggregated from other historical sources but then again I don't think one can write about how to make perfumes without going into the historical blending of perfumery; it seems like every book I've read so far on the subject does the same thing including the more science based books.
If you are wanting to learn more about the science of perfumery from a modern or more empirical perspective filled with technical information then this is definitely NOT the right book for you. If you are wanting an "inspirational", emotive filled how-to from the perspective of a professional artisan in order to get your feet wet then you will be able to glean useful information, it all depends on your leanings and/or tenacity - I didn't find it that inspiring personally. As an artist I got a lot out of it on a materials based and intuitive process kind of way. As an empirical leaning, science based beginning perfumer I was frustrated by the meanderings, hyperbole & lack of organization. The author comes from her personal experience and philosophy as a professional perfumer and relates her experience in a way that makes it sound like her religion. She writes some philosophically based opinions into the text as though they are fact so be aware of guru-ism. It is clear that the writer feels a strong connection with perfumery's historical alchemical, guild based and apothecary roots and her insight comes from her practical knowledge and experience as both a professional and artist. Some might find her writing style inspirational due to her frequent use of metaphor and grandiosity. Despite what I found to be mostly fluff I think the author does a pretty good job of bringing the material down to a human level and makes perfumery approachable enough to start blending for most people.
In case you can't tell I'm not fond of her writing style and am of the opinion that her writing style (or lack thereof) tends to cloud some of the value this book offers in the way of practical information. I'm sure she is a wonderful perfumer but a writer she is not. The alchemical aspect is not readily apparent besides the authors use of some "alchemical" terminology, exaggerations and hyping up the mysterious aspects of historical processes of perfumery, life and biology for effect. My wife reads archaic alchemy texts and couldn't get half way through this book. It seems that the alchemical reference is more for effect and marketing chaff in the same way jazz bands like to over use it. I'm sure she is well meaning and I'm sure she knows quite a bit about the history and contemplative process of alchemy, especially as it applies to her craft but it doesn't really come across in a way that is specifically related to alchemy in general for you practical or laboratory alchemy types. Instead it comes across as another marketing piece for the Aftel franchise way of doing things.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Inspired me to get to know my essential oils at the deepest level
By Anne NC
I'm a practicing aromatherapist for 20 years who is self-taught for the most part. I've been wanting to make some vibrational sprays for my clients & customers, but didn't really know how to BLEND essential oils to get the outcome I wanted. It was basically hit or miss. This book gives a vast amount of practical information about how perfumery works: top, middle and base notes; categories of essences such as floral, fruity, woody, animal, earthy, resinous, balsamic, green, edible for Base notes; the 3 stages of the scent over time; essences that always go together well; how to create a blend for an individual, and much more. She gives a list of top, middle and base note essential oils to start with and what to add to your collection as you go along. Pages 60-64 explain exactly how to get to know each of your essences at the deepest level so that you can begin to see what blending the oils will result in. Then later in the book, she speaks in detail of the steps to creating a blend as well as giving recipes for blends such as how to make a top, middle and base chord blend, sensual blends, blends for meditation & bath, etc. Lots of information, recommended books, and resources for supplies. Very practical and the historical narratives are very interesting.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
sensuous
By glouise
With an increased intrest in essential oils and scents I have of late, been reading books on these subjects. I should actually say, flipping through books on the subject. Most are not very interesting and read like dry textbooks. Mandy Aftel's work is the first book that has been so inviting and full of information that I have actually read it from start to finish. Aftel pulls the reader into the sensual world of scent. Her beautifully writen treatise is a joy to read (better than many novels I have picked up lately). In her book, Mandy Aftel opens up the door to a forgotten world and with basic information and flair, draws the reader in. Unlike many books on the same subject, this book is not just a listing of this goes well with this, this is good for this, it is a reference guide to increased awareness and a stepping stone to begin the exploration of the olfactory sense and perfumery. With a well chosen word or metaphor Aftel explains fragrance and the art of perfumary in a way that the reader thinks of their future experiments not just as a scientific experiment but as a philosophy or spirituality of the senses. A truly inspiring book that was a joy to read.
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