Perfume: In search of your signature scent Hardcover – 21 Mar. 2019

Neil Chapman's book is full of useful information, with lovely little nuggets of perfume lore. It is decidedly helpful in one's search for a signature scent, or just to add to one's list of 'perfumes I'd like to come across (either in the bottle or worn by someone nearby and nice)'. The writing is beautiful, with lovely acrobatic turns and descriptive phrases such as 'stalactician', which may or may not be invented but that are, as with all the perfume descriptions, perfect at creating a sense of what the scent must be like. This is demonstrated by the passages about the scents that one does own, which are both revelatory and satisfyingly, reassuringly, exactly what one would have said oneself if one had anything like the talent for delineating what it is like to BE smelling something that Neil Chapman does. Peppered with wonderful; laugh out loud; wish I had been there; ooh you must be fibbing authorial anecdotes to just the right degree, this book will enliven and enlighten and offers cracking good fun along the way.

This is a sumptuous book, not only visually but also content wise. Many of the classics are reviewed but the book also opens up a whole world of new niche perfumiers and their wonderful creations and I have already discovered a new favourite. Wonderful for browsing it takes you on a journey of discovery. If you love fragrance I defy you not to be enraptured with this book. You can lose hours in it again and again. So glad I bought it.

Sensuously evocative, vivid, at times deviously humorous, Chapman’s writing intrigues and enchants regardless of one’s interest in perfume. Tour with him through scents of the forest, for example, and he will unveil creatures lurking in the undergrowth; a white deer at dawn, unaware of a bound and bloodied corpse lying just beyond; a ménage à trois of lovers catching their collective breath on moss-covered rock. A drydown with a cooling, poisonous feel eventually settles into “a convincing Stevie Nicks of belladonna, bitter nettles and twilight winklepickers.” His writerly gifts are (indeed his very soul seems) fantastically whetted for navigating the astoundingly plush and multilayered terrain of scent, sillage, and self-discovery presented in these pages. Keep a copy for your own library and gift this book to those who'll appreciate the sheer aesthetic pleasure.

....with this book-which has beautiful entrées into the wide genres of perfumes and beyond what one's limited conception of fragrances is actually- is not having Tobacco fragrance suggestions separately as there are many great selections that can afford to have an exclusive chapter on it's own, rather than clubbing it with boozy fragrances suggestions.

This impressively extensive book contemplates nearly 850 perfumes (both vintage and modern) which the author has hunted for round the world.I would find it hard to accurately describe the scent of one but Chapman has a wonderful and beautiful grasp of language. His amazing range of vocabulary - though there are 100s of perfumes described - doesn't feel at all repetitive. His passion and expertise sing from each page.This exhaustive and essential guide is a great bedside book to dip into - even if you are not obsessed by perfume as Chapman obviously - the lyrical writing, observations and anecdotes alone should be indulged in.The cute illustrations of all the bottles are a clever touch too.

After 40 years in enginering as a manufacturing professional I never thought that this kind of book would interest me one bit . Well what a surprise .My wife had bought it for herself and as it lay on the table my curiosity to look inside suddenly opened my eyes to a world I could never have comprehended,.This book is beautifully written with skill, style and abundent knowledge and made me want to learn more about the subject of perfume .This book is a must buy as a gift for friends or family members alike ,being so tactile to hold and enchanting to read ..Well done to Neil Chapman for opening my eyes to another world.

I absolutely love this book! It is beautifully written; giving detailed insights not only into the makeup of perfumes but also Neil’s witty associations and anecdotes with them as he has journeyed through life.As someone who actually struggles to wear perfume, this book has made me determined to find my signature scent. Neil’s knowledge and clear passion for perfume draws you in.I’m so glad Neil has written this book finally. Having been privileged enough to spend the odd day in his and of course Helen’s company; it’s a gem to read snippets of stories about their teenage adventures.If you have read Neil’s blog Black Narcissus, this will be right up your street...Neil truly thank you x

This is a beautiful book, both in terms of content and as an aesthetic item to admire. With gold blocked pages and a lovely Art Deco cover it makes an ideal gift for anyone interested in perfumes, their stories and how they are made. This is your bithday/graduation/Christmas gift dilemma solved. Keep a copy on your coffee table for your friends to admire, finally, it's available at a great price!

Für alle, die sich gerne in der Welt der Düfte bewegen ist dieses Buch meiner Meinung nach ein must-have.Anders als Luca Turin ordnet Neil Chapman die Düfte nach dem dominanten Dufteindruck.Wer also z.B. für den Sommer einen schönen Orangen- oder zitrischen Duft sucht, bekommt unter dem tag 'Orange/Mandarin' 12 verschiedene Parfums ,sowohl aus dem Parfumerie wie dem Nischenbereich, vorgestellt.Weitere Kategorien in dieser Richtung in dem Buch sind z.B. Neroli, Zitrus, Grapefruit, Yuzu oder Bergamotte, die auch jeweils ein Dutzend Parfumvorschläge besprechen.Dies nur als Beispiel für den Aufbau des Buches, der speziell auf persönliche Duftvorlieben eingehen und dem Liebhaber einer besonderen Duftrichtung ermöglichen möchte, so seinen Signatur- oder idealen Individualduft zu finden.Ausser der stark ausdifferenzierten Abteilung der Blütendüfte gibt es zusammenfassende Kategorien wie Klassiker, Gewürze, Gourmands, Holziges, Aquatisches und viele weitere.Neil Chapman gibt zu den vorgestellten Parfums ausser einer Beschreibung des Duftbildes auch jeweils Hintergrundinformationen zu dem kreativen Kopf hinter dem Duft sowie dem Parfumhaus oder der Bedeutung der Entstehungszeit.Die Düfte selbst werden zusätzlich zu der inhaltlichen Beschreibung oft mit assoziativen Eindrücken und anekdotischen persönlichen Erlebnissen des Autors verbunden, um jeweils einen charakteristischen Aspekt des Parfums einzufangen.Bei mir entsteht so ein besseres Bild des jeweiligen Duftes als bei einer reinen Auflistung der Duftpyramide.Ausserdem ist das ganze Buch äußerst unterhaltsam geschrieben, man lernt nicht nur viel über hunderte von Duftkompositionen, sondern unterhält sich dabei auch noch blendend.Neben Luca Turins beiden Parfumkompendien eine durchaus ebenbürtige Ausgabe von 'Parfumbibel' für den Afficionado.

Cnest l’éventail des parfums existants : une bible !

Muy interesante el agrupar los perfumes por ingredientes.

Physically, this book is beautiful with a gold art-deco designed cover and a heavy weight. This sturdiness is importantsince the volume will be consulted often. Neil Chapman is a wonderful writer with a poetic sensibility that enableshim to create a semblance of the fragrance on the page. I hope that Mr. Chapman will take the very interestingessays in his blog, The Black Narcissus, and put them in book form as well. Always a pleasure to read this author.

Neil Chapman has written a marvelously personal, knowledgeable guide to perfumes, which combines erudite chapters about the history and manufacture of fragrance with his individual reviews of specific perfumes, grouped loosely into categories such as "Green", then by notes like "green florals." It is a remarkably user-friendly format with an exhaustive index if one just wants to read one review of a specific fragrance. Neil has a poetic sensibility and lifelong love of perfume, both of which suffuse his writing. As he says, "In its wordless abstraction, a beautifully made scent can encapsulate an emotion; smell, with its visceral link to the unconscious, is unique in its emotional immediacy." His short reviews of individual fragrances combine information about their components and creation with his own deeply personal reactions to wearing them, or memories of times when he wore them. Since his own perfume collection must number in the thousands, including many rare vintage perfumes, even the most profligate collectors of perfumes will find surprises and revelations.The book itself is beautiful and would make a lovely gift to any fragrance-lover, especially if combined with a gift of an actual fragrance. It is a hardcover with a gorgeous metallic Art Deco design and gold-edged pages. Bravo, Neil!