Love: Penhaligon's Scented Treasury of Verse and Prose

by Sheila Pickles

Shiela Pickles gathers her favorite literary reflections on this timeless theme--from the childhood loves of Dickens to the tempestuous passions of Lord Byron--and includes classic amorous paintings from Renaissance and 19th-century masters. The book is scented with Penhaligon's perfume, Elizabethan Rose.

Genres: Poetry, Romance, Fiction, Literary Fiction

111 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 1988

About the author

Sheila began her career working for Franco Zeffirelli in the worlds of theatre, film and opera in Italy in the 60s. "He was my education," says Sheila. "He was the first one to open my eyes to the whole world of the Arts. In Rome beauty was all around me." At Zeffirelli's suggestion she took over the dying business of Penhaligon's - the historic perfume house making colognes and special preparations for discerning gentlemen - and spent the next two decades brilliantly bringing the business back to International life. Starting with the launch of several exquisite new scents, her creativity took her into designing original luxury gifts and finally into publishing. Sixteen unique scented anthologies of verse and prose redefined the giftbook market including the international bestseller, The Language of Flowers. Two million copies sold!

With the Objets d'Art Jewellery website, Sheila has created a 21st century version of her books, now on line for the next generation. Showing the inspiration and provenance of the jewellery gives a special meaning to which everyone can immediately relate. "Working in the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence with Zeffirelli during the Florence Flood in 1966 was a cathartic time for me", says Sheila. "This was when I realised for the first time the full value of the past and what it can offer us in the future."

Sheila’s creative spark and enormous energy are taking her into a new world, mastering website technology and new marketing techniques in a different direction close to her heart - the beauty of jewellery.

Sheila has two children, James who works in film and Charlotte who is a make-up artist. Charlotte has lent us her beautiful face and is one of the jewellery models.

Reviews

[Esme Sarrouf]

So when they say it’s a scented book they mean literally scented, like, rose perfume on every page, just FYI.
Anyways, this book was artistically beautiful and I mean, how can you go wrong with just taking a bunch of passages and poems about love, putting them all together in a book with renaissance era art on every page, and then scenting it rose? Throw on some fiddle music and oh baby you’re cooking.
Actually though, I didn’t love all the pieces, but some people’s way of putting things into words is just perfect and sometimes even if I don’t agree with it, it just sounds so lovely.

[Everlinet]

beautiful collection of verses about love, parts of my favorite novels etc. it’s scented, even after years is smells lovely.
i love all the art and the aesthetic of the book. i highly recommend for collectible purposes.

[Ellie Gale]

this book was just all round lovely 💗 it literally smelt like roses which is such a cool edition to this book and also cool because i found it in a charity shop.

it was basically loads of extracts from classical literature and famous poems all about love and was nice to read. also felt good to read a “classic” without the commitment of reading an actual classic. thats a bit heavy for right now!

my fave was a VERY short poem called “slippers and rice” it was just wholesome

[Gina]

Rating this 4 stars because of the great mix of art and verse, not to mention it's scented!

[Tanya]

This pretty little book was a gift from a fellow student when I studied in London during college. I loved it because it featured some of the authors we had been reading, and was illustrated with many paintings that I had seen at various London galleries. As I look through it now, Love is full of good memories.

[Peggy]

A book well read over and over

[Ann]

Went to a small get together today and this is one of 2 books someone gave me!

[Heather]

This was just ok. I only liked a handful of the poems; some were good, well good-ish, at any rate. Overall, they were a bit too flowery and dramatic for my tastes. A lot of them were depressing. Why were they chosen for a book of love? They weren’t romantic or sweet at all! Talking of death, of old age. What in the world? It was the opposite of love to me.
I did like some of the paintings as well; perhaps the best thing about the book, because I love historical paintings.

The book said it was scented, which I’ve never heard of before, but I think mine’s faded because I didn’t smell anything.

The ones I liked:
-Love by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
-We’ll Go No More A Roving by Lord Byron.
This had my favorite painting in the book, which is also used on the cover. I love romantic medieval paintings.
-Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe. I had no idea the poem of Annabel Lee, in the movie Holes, which I love, was by Edgar Allen Poe!!
Of course he would make it depressing. The movie only did a snippet of it,& it sounded nice...
‘It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;-
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
She was a child and I was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee - ’

-Perfect Woman by William Wordsworth.
-Gaining a Son, Silas Marner, by George Rliot, Mary Anne Cross.
This was touching: “You won’t be giving me away, father,” she had said before they went to church; “you’ll only be taking Aaron to be a son to you.”
-Sonnet by William Shakespeare.

[Jasmine Shadows]

I may even need to rate this more a 2.5. I was disappointed by many of the selections, and I do not care for art, even by the "masters", that includes nudity. I feel that there is too much of an exposure to that as there is, and it is not necessary. So I do not recommend this for young and innocent people. In fact, I don't really recommend it.

[Viktorija B.]

What a lovely collection! This would be a very sweet gift to a romantic. A little too much Shakespeare perhaps, but I honestly can't fault that. I mean, it is Shakespeare. But god, what a gorgeous book to read! Smells nice, too!

[An]

23, 29, 46, 51, 54, 60, 65

[Bonnie]

Gorgeous poetry and the art work is divine. An older friend of my mum gave it too me and it’s so pretty.

[Maddy]

oh my god this book is so beautiful and it’s scented with rose im gonna cry

[eri (taylor’s version)]

most beautiful book to ever exist. argue with the wall.

[Victoria Laubach]

It was a great collection of poems and short inserts from books about love and relationships!

[Kristen]

The book is scented with Penhaligon's perfume, Elizabethan Rose. I bought this book several years ago (when I was a teenager), and it still to this day smells like roses. This book is a timeless classic! The words and art work are beautiful.

[Sandra]

lovely!!
the smell of its pages conquer my heart
and so my spirit rises and I get inspired.

[Corvinus Maximilus]

The beautiful smell of roses...the wonderful words...whats not to love!

[Elizabeth]

The most precious book I own. I love it.