Un Libro

“But what is this scent of balmy air? What this ray of light in my tomb? I seem to see an angel, amid a scent of roses” sings Florestan in Fidelio, Beethoven’s only opera. The role of scents, smells, fragrances, and odours in opera has long been neglected, just as how much opera and its stars have influenced the world of perfumery from the nineteenth century to the present day. In the first book-length study on the topic, Professor Mary May Robertson explores the relationship between opera, perfumes, and their respective protagonists in order to map out the previously undiscussed connection between the two. Through compelling close readings of librettos and rigorous research through thousands of bottles of perfume, the reader will come to appreciate and recognise the influences and exchanges between operas and perfumes and their ultimate marriage in the previously unrecognised genre of Operatic Perfumes, which is to say, perfumes named after operas, composers, and their divas.

Perfume. The very word evokes a world of sensuality. The Book of Perfume details the history, creation and selection of fine fragrance, providing a complete guide to a fundamental element of the feminine mystique. Chapters trace the traditions of scent, from the attars of Cleopatra to Marilyn Monroe's Chanel No. 5. Illustrations.

Over 800 beautiful color photos of perfume bottles ranging from the exquisite flacons of Lalique, Baccarat, Viard, Brosse, Jollivet, Cristal Nancy, Wheaton, C.K. Brenda, and Lucien Guillard to figural bottles and dimestore novelties. Bottles with the original packaging are included, as are catalogs and advertising photographs. An important book for collectors.