More Books
Folio Columns 2003–2013
For eleven years, Luca Turin’s inimitable writing appeared in regular monthly columns for Swiss magazine NZZ Folio. Here they are collected and published in the original English, some for the first time, along with four features he also wrote for the magazine. First, his Duftnote (“perfume note”) discusses all matters olfactory, from long lost perfumes to the smell of jet fuel, and then later in Entweder Oder (“either or”) he chooses between two not always obvious alternatives—coffee vs. chocolate, art vs. nature, flats vs. heels, Captains Haddock vs. Nemo, new vs. old furniture, trams vs. free will, and other unconsidered options. Paperback and e-book.
The Secret of Scent
A molecule flies up your nose, and you smell it, yet what is it that you smell? What about a particular arrangement of atoms tells you cut grass or garlic, the chlorine in the swimming pool or the toasty vanilla of an old paperback? Turin explains his interest in the science of olfaction, the history of science’s attempts to explain it, and his own biophysical theory of how it might all work. Hardcover and paperback.
Perfumes: The A–Z Guide (USA)
In the book that started it all, Turin and Sanchez bring perfume appreciation to the attention of the wider culture with their critically lauded guide to over 1,800 fragrances, from their all-time favorites to a stinker described as “like getting lemon juice in a paper cut.” Introductory essays educate the reader on how perfumes are made, what they’re made of, and which are historical and cultural landmarks. Smelling through the top ten lists should be one of any perfume fanatic’s life goals. 2008 hardcover, 2009 paperback (out of print).
Perfumes: The A–Z Guide (UK)
The UK paperback edition, published by Profile Books in 2009, contains the same content as the US version. 2008 hardcover, updated 2009 paperback, and e-book.
The Little Book of Perfumes (USA)
A distillation of just the masterpieces from Perfumes: The A–Z Guide, here are one hundred of the greatest perfumes of all time, with the addition of long-lost greats Chypre, Emeraude, Iris Gris, and L’Origan. Hardcover and e-book.
A Little Book of Perfumes (UK)
The same as the US edition, but in a different cover for the UK market. Hardcover and e-book.