Pre waring: this book will make you want to rush out and purchase a lot of perfume.
Whilst my current Uni module is based solely around perfume, I decided to purchase a book purely focused on the topic with the hopes that it helps me along with my studies, so I thought I would do a little review on 'The Perfume Bible' by Josephine Fairley & Lorna McKay.
First off, I'll start by saying how beautifully presented this book is! Now, I'm not going to lie, the book is pretty hefty, since the book itself is rather huge and it's a flat hardback. However, I do think this gives the book that extra luxurious feel and becomes atheistically pleasing on any coffee table or book shelve, hoorah.
It's filled with interesting facts regarding the history and development of perfume, alongside stunning photographs and illustrations were drawn by Kerrie Hess. Her illustrations are gorgeous and are something I'd love to frame in my room! The artistic illustrations and quotes within the book were probably my favourite factor and are something which I think is seen frequently over Instagram and Pinterest these days, so this helps to keep the book more current and aesthetically pleasing.
After reading this book, I do have a deeper understanding surrounding perfume, in the sense of the different 'families', construction of a fragrance and the psychological factors surrounding scent, in fact, the book really does cover every aspect of perfume, which is an eye opener for me within my module. The book also includes a chapter named 'the top 100 perfumes to try before you die', which includes some cult classics in the perfume industry, however, I do believe the title to be questionable and there are a few I would have swapped out and added in personally.
I'm not going to beat around the bush, I wouldn't have purchased The Perfume Bible if it wasn't for my current uni module and although it is informative, I do think a majority of the information many people are already aware of. I think anyone highly interesting in perfume would love this book, and it's easy 'pick up' book which is easy to dip in and out of, and great guests on a coffee table. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to re-purchase it, especially at full price. The book retails at £25, however, it's currently still on sale at WHSmith and The Perfume Bible by Josephine Fairley & Lorna McKay is also available on Amazon.
Gem
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