Perfume Legends : French Feminine Fragrances by Michael Edwards
“Michael Edwards’s book represents a truly praiseworthy effort to help people better appreciate the great perfumes of this century,” says Edmond Roudnitska in his introduction to Perfume Legends: French Feminine Fragrances. Indeed, a perfume lover’s library is incomplete without this wonderful anthology, which combines beautiful illustrations with the comprehensive information on some of the greatest French fragrances. Edwards’s focus on perfume as an art form traced over the 20th century is an appealing vantage point, given the fact that he recognizes the synergy between the fragrance and the time in which it was created. He also notes the scientific discoveries that shaped the development of perfumery, such as the discovery of cinnamic aldehyde as the chemical responsible for the scent of cinnamon in 1833 by Dumas and Péligot, or the isolation of coumarin from tonka beans by Perkin in 1868. Moreover, the process of creation and forming of ideas that gave rise to some of the most famous fragrances is elaborated in great depth in Perfume Legends.
The book focuses on 45 fragrances, from Guerlain Jicky (1889) to Thierry Mugler Angel (1992), providing information on the creators, from the perfumers and the couturiers to the bottle designers and the executives of the perfume houses. …
“Sweetly, albeit with a touch of throatiness, the redhead began to recite words which were baffling but seductive, judging by the women’s faces in the orchestra, ‘Guerlain, Chanel No. 5, Mitsouko, Narcisse Noir, evening gowns, cocktail dresses…'”
