Synopses & Reviews
The "Alice Waters of American natural perfume" (indieperfume.com) celebrates our most potent sense, through five rock stars of the Fragrant world.
Mandy Aftel is widely acclaimed as a trailblazer in natural perfumery. Over two decades of sourcing the finest aromatic ingredients from all over the world and creating artisanal fragrances, she has been an evangelist for the transformative power of scent. In Fragrant, through five major players in the epic of aroma, she explores the profound connection between our sense of smell and the appetites that move us, give us pleasure, make us fully alive. Cinnamon, queen of the Spice Route, touches our hunger for the unknown, the exotic, the luxurious. Mint, homegrown the world over, speaks to our affinity for the familiar, the native, the authentic. Frankincense, an ancient incense ingredient, taps into our longing for transcendence, while ambergris embodies our unquenchable curiosity. and exquisite jasmine exemplifies our yearning for beauty, both evanescent and enduring.
In addition to providing a riveting initiation into the history, natural history, and philosophy of scent, Fragrant imparts the essentials of scent literacy and includes recipes for easy-to-make fragrances and edible, drinkable, and useful concoctions that reveal the imaginative possibilities of creating with — and reveling in — aroma. Vintage line drawings make for a volume that will be a treasured gift as well as a great read.
Review
Praise for Essence and Alchemy
“A compulsively readable compendium of perfume lore, legend, and instruction.” —San Francisco Chronicle
Praise for Mandy Aftel
“One of the fragrance industrys most creative thinkers, not to mention one of its most prolific talents.” —Vogue
“An indisputable icon in the world of perfumery, and quite arguably the Mother of Natural Perfumery.” —Cafleurebon.com
Review
Praise for Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent Named one of Time Magazine and Flavorwire's Best Fall Reads
"Mandy Aftel's seductive Fragrant plumbs the power of ancient and exotic smells to ignite desire, discovery, and transcendance." and#8212;Vanity Fair
and#8220;A valuable recent addition to the perfume nerdand#8217;s informational arsenaland#8230; Reading [Afteland#8217;s] book makes a person wearing perfume feel connected to every human in every era who has ever done so.and#8221;and#8212;Bookforum
and#8220;This fall's most compelling tome of highbrow nonfiction by a Berkeley author and#8230; is [this] authoritatively voiced, utterly fascinating, fact-laden look into the surprisingly complex world of scent.and#8221; and#8212;San Francisco Magazine
and#8220;Aftel offers intriguing insight into world cultures through the history of five key scents and#8211; including whyand#160; mint tea is a sign of hospitality in the Middle East, and how the Dutch policed the cinnamon black market in Ceylon.and#8221; and#8212;Food and Wine
and#8220;Sumptuous and gorgeousand#8230; I want to give [Fragrant] to every woman I loveand#8221; and#8212;Sophie Uliano, Gorgeously Green
and#8220;Riveting and indulgent. [Fragrant] is a like a well-crafted piece of fine art, or a gourmet meal. You want to savor every single word on every single pageand#8221; and#8212;The Girl Who Knows
"A Botany of Desire for scent." and#8212;Michael Pollan (via Twitter @MichaelPollan)
and#8220;In this sensuous and profound exploration of the history, science, and art of perfume, expert perfumer Aftel seduces readers with a sensualism that only intensifies as her stories unfold. and#160;and#8230; The book is peppered with fascinating trivia [and] recipes and tidbits and#8230; that entice readers to wake up their noses and perhaps engage in their own scent alchemy.and#8221;and#8212;Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
and#8220;Afteland#8217;s vast knowledge and passion for perfumery are on full display here, and her personal anecdotes read like an old friend sharing a cherished recipe. and#160;and#8230; Strongly recommended for casual readers interested in the basics of scent and perfumery.and#8221; and#8212;Library Journal
and#8220;Aftel will greatly expand and#8230; what readers think they know about fragrance as she chronicles the medicinal, culinary and spiritual uses of aromatics from antiquity to the presentand#8230;[Aftel] doesn't merely create pleasant aromas; she opens an olfactory portal to the sensual and spiritual appetites that make us feel alive and in the momentand#8230; Evocative, heady and overflowing with history and lore.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
"Fragrant is a thoughtful, beautifully written meditation on scent; I love that Mandy is both intrepid researcher and sensualist, with an innate gift for storytelling and an abiding curiosity in the provenance of her ingredients. This book vividly shows how the aromas of the natural world have the power to open the pathways to our minds, guiding and defining our traditions, our history and our future." and#8212;Alice Waters
"Reading Mandy Afteland#8217;s thoughtful and charmingly writtenand#160;Fragrant, I was taken on a journey of intrigue and fascination that operated on all my senses. and#160;Who knew there was so much to learn about the human affection for smelling good? Or, indeed, for the adventure of smelling itself."and#8212;Alice Walker
and#8220;Mandy Aftel has been tutoring my nose for many years. and#160;I've been lucky enough to make regular pilgrimages to her perfume studio to smell with her through the hundreds of materials in her collection, to browse in her wonderfully eclectic library, to be informed and inspired by her passion for scent in all its forms. In Fragrant, she distills that passion into an eloquent account of the forgotten stories of nature's aromatic materials, the pleasure and meaning that they've given to people through the centuries, and simple ways of bringing those riches back into our own lives.and#8221; and#8212;Harold McGee, New York Times columnist and bestselling author of On Food and Cooking
Praise for Essence and Alchemy
and#160;
and#8220;A compulsively readable compendium of perfume lore, legend, and instruction.and#8221; and#8212;San Francisco Chronicle
and#160;
Praise for Mandy Aftel
and#160;
and#8220;One of the fragrance industryand#8217;s most creative thinkers, not to mention one of its most prolific talents.and#8221; and#8212;Vogue
and#8220;An indisputable icon in the world of perfumery, and quite arguably the Mother of Natural Perfumery.and#8221; and#8212;Cafleurebon.com
Synopsis
Winner of the 2016 Perfumed Plume Award
The Alice Waters of American natural perfume (indieperfume.com) celebrates our most potent sense, through five rock stars of the fragrant world.
Look out for Mandy Aftel's new book, The Art of Flavor, on sale in August
Mandy Aftel is widely acclaimed as a trailblazer in natural perfumery. Over two decades of sourcing the finest aromatic ingredients from all over the world and creating artisanal fragrances, she has been an evangelist for the transformative power of scent. In Fragrant, through five major players in the epic of aroma, she explores the profound connection between our sense of smell and the appetites that move us, give us pleasure, make us fully alive. Cinnamon, queen of the Spice Route, touches our hunger for the unknown, the exotic, the luxurious. Mint, homegrown the world over, speaks to our affinity for the familiar, the native, the authentic. Frankincense, an ancient incense ingredient, taps into our longing for transcendence, while ambergris embodies our unquenchable curiosity. And exquisite jasmine exemplifies our yearning for beauty, both evanescent and enduring.
In addition to providing a riveting initiation into the history, natural history, and philosophy of scent, Fragrant imparts the essentials of scent literacy and includes recipes for easy-to-make fragrances and edible, drinkable, and useful concoctions that reveal the imaginative possibilities of creating with and reveling in aroma. Vintage line drawings make for a volume that will be a treasured gift as well as a great read."
About the Author
Mandy Aftel is an internationally known artisan perfumer and the author of six previous books, including Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume.