Fragrant : the secret life of scent

98 Pages·2014·7.52 MB·English

by  Aftel

ALSO BY MANDY AFTEL
Death of a Rolling Stone: The Brian Jones Story
When Talk Is Not Cheap: Or, How to Find the Right Therapist When You Don’t Know Where to Begin
(with Robin Tolmach Lakoff)
The Story of Your Life: Becoming the Author of Your Experience
Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume
Aroma: The Magic of Essential Oils in Food and Fragrance
(with Daniel Patterson)
Scents and Sensibilities: Creating Solid Perfumes for Well-Being
An engraving from the 1576 English edition of The New Jewell of Health symbolizes the art of distillation,
which was used to extract essential oils from fruits, flowers, and other materials.

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Grateful acknowledgment is made to reprint lines from “The Cinnamon Peeler,” from The Cinnamon Peeler by
Michael Ondaatje, copyright © 1989 by Michael Ondaatje. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Aftel, Mandy.
Fragrant : the secret life of scent / Mandy Aftel.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-10161468-6
1. Smell. 2. Odors. 3. Cinnamon. 4. Mints (Plants). 5. Ambergris. 6. Frankincense. 7. Jasmine. I. Title.
QP458.A34 2014 2014018554
612.8'6—dc23
The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your
specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse
reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact
information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for
changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any
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Version_1
To Foster, my Philemon, from your Baucis
Aesthetics cures us of anesthesia. It awakens us.
—MICHEL SERRES, The Five Senses
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
A NEW NOSE

CHAPTER TWO
A TASTE FOR ADVENTURE

CHAPTER THREE
THERE’S NO SMELL LIKE HOME

CHAPTER FOUR
REACHING FOR TRANSCENDENCE

CHAPTER FIVE
CURIOUS AND CURIOUSER

CHAPTER SIX
SEDUCED BY BEAUTY
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Sources
Index
The “Boat of Foolish Smells,” in a caricature engraving published in Josse Bade’s 1502 edition of La Nef
des Folles (The Ship of Fools).