The most respected perfume critic in the UK, James Craven takes us on an intensely personal journey to the meetin g place of perfume and memory; giving us over 50 essays covering such scents as the smell of his grandmother's handbag ( Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden ), smoking ( Tabac Blond by Caron ), the scent of cold ( Acier Aluminum by Creed ) to the overwhelming odours o f Versailles in its heyday ( Bal a Versailles ). His writing is as sensual and complex as the perfumes he describes, drawing on art, history, film and psychology and an extensive perfume directory completes this unique book.

The most respected perfume critic in the UK, James Craven takes us on an intensely personal journey to the meetin g place of perfume and memory; giving us over 50 essays covering such scents as the smell of his grandmother's handbag ( Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden ), smoking ( Tabac Blond by Caron ), the scent of cold ( Acier Aluminum by Creed ) to the overwhelming odours o f Versailles in its heyday ( Bal a Versailles ). His writing is as sensual and complex as the perfumes he describes, drawing on art, history, film and psychology and an extensive perfume directory completes this unique book.