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The Diary of a Nose

ebook
Hermès’ longtime master perfumer offers a rare glimpse into the mysterious, intoxicating world of creating luxury perfume.
How does one capture the essence of emotions, of desire . . . in a scent?
A scent has incantatory powers, capable of transporting you to your past, of kindling fantasies, of creating a vivid mise en scène—literally out of thin air. In the hands of the truly great, perfume creation is a kind of alchemy.
 
Jean-Claude Ellena has a sublime gift. As parfumeur exclusif—or “the nose”—for Hermès, he elevates fragrance to an art form. A “writer of perfume,” his concoctions are as finely composed and evocative as a haiku. He is also a conjurer of sorts: “I create an illusion that is actually stronger than reality . . . you enter the scent and follow the path.”
The Diary of a Nose is a collection of Ellena’s meditations on the world of scents, and what stirs his creation of some of the world’s most desired fragrances. Inspiration can come from anywhere—a market stall, a landscape, or even the movement of calligraphy. Though each smell has its own distinct character, a gifted perfumer creates olfactory experiences that are intensely personal and unique, that blossom on the body and leave a trace of us lingering after we have left a room. Seductive, delicate, and elegant as any of Ellena’s creations, The Diary of a Nose seeks to capture the most elusive facets of this rarefied and mysterious art.

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Publisher: Rizzoli

Kindle Book

  • Release date: January 22, 2013

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9780847840434
  • Release date: January 22, 2013

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9780847840434
  • File size: 2070 KB
  • Release date: January 22, 2013

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Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

Languages

English

Hermès’ longtime master perfumer offers a rare glimpse into the mysterious, intoxicating world of creating luxury perfume.
How does one capture the essence of emotions, of desire . . . in a scent?
A scent has incantatory powers, capable of transporting you to your past, of kindling fantasies, of creating a vivid mise en scène—literally out of thin air. In the hands of the truly great, perfume creation is a kind of alchemy.
 
Jean-Claude Ellena has a sublime gift. As parfumeur exclusif—or “the nose”—for Hermès, he elevates fragrance to an art form. A “writer of perfume,” his concoctions are as finely composed and evocative as a haiku. He is also a conjurer of sorts: “I create an illusion that is actually stronger than reality . . . you enter the scent and follow the path.”
The Diary of a Nose is a collection of Ellena’s meditations on the world of scents, and what stirs his creation of some of the world’s most desired fragrances. Inspiration can come from anywhere—a market stall, a landscape, or even the movement of calligraphy. Though each smell has its own distinct character, a gifted perfumer creates olfactory experiences that are intensely personal and unique, that blossom on the body and leave a trace of us lingering after we have left a room. Seductive, delicate, and elegant as any of Ellena’s creations, The Diary of a Nose seeks to capture the most elusive facets of this rarefied and mysterious art.

Expand title description text
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