A cartography of fragrance that charts the botany and geography of perfume composition.

For perfume makers, each smell carries with it a multitude of associations and impressions that must be carefully analyzed and understood before the sum of all its parts emerges. All perfumers have their own idiosyncratic methods, drawn from their individual olfactory experiences, for classifying fragrances. In Atlas of Perfumed Botany, virtuoso perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena leads readers on a poetic, geographic, and botanical journey of perfume discovery. Ellena offers a varied and fascinating cartography of fragrances, tracing historical connections and cultural exchanges. Full-page entries on plants ranging from bergamot to lavender are accompanied by detailed and vivid full-color botanical illustrations.

Author: Jean-Claude Ellena
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 04/05/2022
Pages: 168
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 10.50h x 7.50w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780262046732


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/28/2022

About the Author
Jean-Claude Ellena, the "nose" of the luxury brand Hermès for fourteen years, has been the Creative Director of Fragrance at the perfume house Le Couvent since 2019. Karin Doering-Froger, a faculty member at the Atelier de Sèvres, has illustrated many novels and travel guides, including Atlas de cités perdues and Atlas de contrées rêvées.