The Essence of Perfume Hardcover – 1 January 2010

Its a good book to have if your like perfumes. It has a very nice overview of a section of the perfume industry. For an average person into perfumes, its a good buy. The quality of printing leaves much to be desired, it could have been better; but I guess at the print price of $30/- for a coffee table book, its ok.

Roja Dove brings perfumery to life in this wonderful book. An absolute must for anyone interested in perfumery. Highly recommended.

This book by master perfumer Roja Dove is a MUST HAVE. Alot of work and love has been clearly put into this book. It is also magnificently illustrated.

Ich habe das Buch verschenkt an einen Freund, der selber Parfums mischt und er war super begeistert und schwelgt sehr gerne in dem Buch.

Este libro és altamente recomendable para quien les gustan los perfumes y su historia. Roja Dove habla un poquito sobre la estructura de los perfumes y sus aromas, se menciona la historia de los mejores perfumes y sus frascos.

This is a wonderful volume - lavishly illustrated and well researched. Everything you ever wanted to know about scents, their history, how they are made, the array of materials used, etc. The great design houses are well profiled. For me the most fun is Dove's selection of 55 of the greatest perfumes (since 1889) with comments on their content, place in history, and importance in the art of perfumery. Color photos of the elaborate bottles accompany each profile.I have been using an online sample company and obtaining decade by decade vials of the reviewed perfumes and it is great fun. Dove is the "best nose in the business," having worked for Guerlain for 20 years, and now producing his own scent lines. His rich sensual Unspoken is my favorite of his.I have read other scholarly books on the subject and they can be rather cloying, like a heavy floral, but Dove's is breezy and easy to read. My only peeve would be he needed a better editor - there are many typos and incorrect spellings of names. Small point though.Enjoy!