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Perfumes The Guide 2018

Luca Turin,

Tania Sanchez

4.16 · Rating details · 238 ratings · 29 reviews

In 2008, Turin and Sanchez up-ended the world of fragrance with their critically acclaimed Perfumes: The A–Z Guide, one of Amazon’s best books of the year, described by John Lanchester in the New Yorker as “ravishingly entertaining,” by India Knight in the Sunday Times (UK) as “one of the best books I have ever read,” by Hilary Mantel as “opinionated, knowledgeable, sharpl ...more

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Kindle Edition, 346 pages

Published June 26th 2018 by Perfüümista OÜ

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Jul 01, 2018 Sharon L. rated it it was amazing

Smart and poetic. If you have ANY interest in perfume, I highly recommend this book. Sanchez’s introduction alone is worth the buy. She delivers a concise and fascinating overview of the contemporary market as the center of gravity shifts away from Grasse and Paris and towards the niche and indie creators around the world. Sanchez and Turin are skilled at turning out sharp and thought-provoking reviews that elevate perfumery as an art form.

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Sep 21, 2018 Dave Johnson rated it it was ok

Because I am a fragrance lover, I want to like this book. Because I am a fragrance reviewer and critic, I want to like this book. But I don't.

The authors have a lot of opinions, as anyone would, and they give their honest thoughts--which I appreciate. But the problem is not that they like or dislike fragrances, but that they don't explain WHY they don't like or dislike them. Sometimes they do this very well, but most of the time, they don't, leading to a very unbalanced mix of high quality and Because I am a fragrance lover, I want to like this book. Because I am a fragrance reviewer and critic, I want to like this book. But I don't.

The authors have a lot of opinions, as anyone would, and they give their honest thoughts--which I appreciate. But the problem is not that they like or dislike fragrances, but that they don't explain WHY they don't like or dislike them. Sometimes they do this very well, but most of the time, they don't, leading to a very unbalanced mix of high quality and poor quality reviews. Many times the authors will only use a single word for their review. A single word. Other reviews (usually the 5-star reviews) get pages of text, which are usually great reviews. I say "usually" because it's really hit-or-miss. Many times the authors just write a lot of text about nothing--maybe they met the perfumers or they talk (too much) about some tangential comparison only to talk about the actual perfume for one sentence, which happens far more than it should. Other reviews just dumbfound me at how the authors completely missed the point of the perfume itself, seemingly not even doing any cursory research on the fragrance--like, not even looking up notes. One case of this is when they reviewed Memoirs Of A Tresspasser by Imaginary Authors, by saying they were promised cognac but got marshmallow. But the thing is, cognac is neither in the notes, nor in the marketing, so what exactly are they talking about?

When reviewing things, it's not just important to give your opinions on WHAT you think; it's often more important to explain WHY you think your opinions are true. Even if someone disagrees with you, they can at least follow your train of thought. That doesn't happen here. The authors assume that you should just care about their opinions just because they are self-professed experts with a published book supporting this fact. Why are they experts? I have no clue. It's not like this fact even annoys me, really. But when taken together with a barely publishable book, you start to question the broader context.

Maybe you love this book. But I really don't like it. Even if you disagree with me, I hope you see why I say what I say, here. ...more

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Jul 02, 2018 AURORA rated it did not like it

I give one star to Luca Turin with the same mindless negligeance as he is roasting many perfume artworks with his arrogant reviews just for the egoistic reason - to entertain his readers. This is very funny boulevard read for the masses, somebody will discover new names and new brands, but not really for the true enthusiasts who want to dig deeper, who are spending a lot of time and money into sampling. Basicaly - are you serious? - at the age of Fragrantica, countless perfume blogs and vlogs, w ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Tara (A Bottled Rose) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The original Guide had a profound effect on me as a newbie to the world of perfume. This latest version is a snap-shot of the current fragrant landscape rather than an update. There are a lot of indie brands, which is no bad thing, but there were a lot of brands I'd never heard and I tended to skip those. I no longer take LT's opinions as gospel but still hugely enjoy his writing and am interested in what he has to say. The way he translates scent into words is utterly unique and Tania's excelle ...more

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Sep 09, 2018 Randy Rusbridger rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Disappointing, but not without merits

Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez have a vast following of admirers and fans in many places around the globe. Deservedly. Their guide Perfumes: A-Z from 2008 is extraordinarily well written, funny, brave and informed. Actually, it is very clever and insightful, ranging from discussions about art, society, to small essays on economy and contemporary culture. Everyone that has come in touch with this book wants more from Luca and Tania. Enters "the new guide", whic Disappointing, but not without merits

Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez have a vast following of admirers and fans in many places around the globe. Deservedly. Their guide Perfumes: A-Z from 2008 is extraordinarily well written, funny, brave and informed. Actually, it is very clever and insightful, ranging from discussions about art, society, to small essays on economy and contemporary culture. Everyone that has come in touch with this book wants more from Luca and Tania. Enters "the new guide", which I bought as soon as I heard of it. Alas, it is sloppily and hastily concocted, with tons of unuseful information, and actually not funny anymore. Because pun is directed at people (perfumers), their products and firms (businesses) we don't know and - as many reviewers at the amazon.com site pointed - will not get any chance of knowing and smelling. Introductory essays are fine, only if you already did not figure out all that is repeated here from their other books, articles and interviews. Also, these essays are very short, and since topics and conclusions are so farfetched, they are not well researched. At least, they lack serious argumentation. As for the rest of the book, it is mostly about so called "niche" perfums and perfumery. So far, so good. But there is no effort of making any sense of this branch of modern scent business (and art). No order, no history, no (again) arguments pro et contra this or that (style, knowledge, artfulness). In one moment we read about some obscure product from USA which - as the writers inform us - do not merit any attention and will probably perish in a matter of months. In the next moment we are confronted with a great work of art (so they say), from totally other part of world, economy and tradition - actually, without being told what was the reason for inclusion of the former, and without the explanation for the miracle of the other. Confusing. But this is supposed to be the guide. If Dante had such guide(s) he definitely wouldn't end in heaven. Perhaps, some of the people in the business will appreciate and understand some of the stuff written in this book. But, some, who obviously make the effort which has not being perceived by Turin/Sanchez, are - with reason - pissed off. For some time I wondered why their famous Guide hasn't been translated much around globe, especially in countries which are leading in the perfumery and have long and rich traditions of it. Even LT somewhere admitted that french and italian media, writers, critics, perfumers and conoisseurs have been totally quiet about his guide(s). Well, I found one italian who has not been quiet but very loud. If you don't speak italian, try with google translate - at least to sense the emotion of the furious reaction.

...more

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Dec 31, 2018 Deborah Wickham rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not as interesting as the first guide, I guess maybe I have tired of their rather patronising review style. It's far too easy to give vicious one star reviews of perfumes without actually explaining what it is they don't like about it. And as this judgement, which unfortunately a lot of potential customers see as gospel, is directed at a lot of new independent perfume artists, it's not being very supportive of new ideas. I understand what they mean by comparing it to good and bad art, but constr ...more

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Jul 12, 2018 Fortluna rated it really liked it

hilarious reviews I can read a sip at a time. half of it is fighting words! as for the other half, while I cannot align my own experience with theirs (with their 2008 guide), it is genuinely enjoyable to witness people being caught off guard by exquisite things. No better treat than this new edition the year I bellyflopped into perfumes.

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Sep 17, 2018 Emilie rated it it was amazing

Like the previous version, which I got at Christmas-time, this book rates perfumes on a 1-5 star level. I got this year's book just now as a random late-birthday/early Christmas present to myself. I was glad to see reviews of some of the newer perfumes I'd been trying samples of. Sadly, after several bouts -- or perhaps just one very long bout -- of sinusitis, I can't smell much of anything currently, but I'm recovering, and I think that sense will come back.

At least I have the reference from gr Like the previous version, which I got at Christmas-time, this book rates perfumes on a 1-5 star level. I got this year's book just now as a random late-birthday/early Christmas present to myself. I was glad to see reviews of some of the newer perfumes I'd been trying samples of. Sadly, after several bouts -- or perhaps just one very long bout -- of sinusitis, I can't smell much of anything currently, but I'm recovering, and I think that sense will come back.

At least I have the reference from growing a number of flowering plants and herbs as to what sambac jasmine, damask roses, lily-of-the-valley (muguet), patchouli, dianthus, lilacs, Oriental lilies, etc., smell like. Some perfumes recreate the fragrances nicely.

I have orris (Florentine iris) growing in the front yard, but I don't dig up the rhizomes, just enjoy the pretty lavender-gray-colored flowers. There are some kinds of irises with fragrant flowers, but the fragrances are mostly described as "Concord grape," which is already a scent and flavor reference of its own.

Continuing rather off-topic, in the past couple of years I've discovered that there are fragrant tulips, though I can understand why Dr. Turin wasn't aware of that. The 'Prince of Austria' tulip has a lovely scent. It's hard for me to imagine perfumes which include the scents of Mediterranean culinary herbs, but apparently some perfumers were known for featuring those fragrances.

As with the earlier book, I enjoyed the reviews, which explain the reasoning for the ratings. Some are very funny, partly for the very vivid descriptions. In one review, Dr. Turin reports that Ms. (Dr.?) Sanchez immediately identified a scent as "peanut butter and celery," but he had to keep searching for something more in his frame of reference, which turned out to involve wearing a camelhair coat in the rain to a florist shop and smelling the freshly cut stems of flowers. That seemed like a rather tortured analogy to me, because I thought that "peanut butter and celery" covered it. Turin's frame of reference is very far from mine.

As I noted in my review of the earlier book, Turin apparently enjoys very "animalic" scents. He enthuses over the "barnyard" scent of narcissus absolute. I thought of paperwhite narcissus, and the 'Erlicheer' daffodils that bloomed for me this spring, and I knew what he was talking about. (Off-topic again, I remember a Goth friend, years ago, being disgusted that I was growing daffodils with the name 'Yellow Cheerfulness' -- far too perky in concept and reality for her tastes.) I also understood "indolic" for sambac jasmine. I have a lot of perfume-world words yet to learn, but also as noted, my ability to read written French and Latin is somewhat coming back to me.

I'm all right with some musky scents, and I like patchouli and incense, but my mother would make me scrub off anything that smelled too "animalic" to her if we were riding in the same car, or both on the same story of the house. Oddly enough, her sense of smell seems to have become stronger with age, or perhaps she's just much more sensitive.

So, there are some factors that prevent me from becoming a "fume-head," but I still enjoy the lively and opinionated writing from a couple of people who are deeply in that world. ...more

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Jun 15, 2019 Saatwik Katiha rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The utter subjectivity of olfactory sense trumps the technical expertise of the authors. LT/TS are obviously technical experts on the composition of fragrances and have an (often exasperatingly and pretentiously) ornate, allusional, symbolistic, metaphorical way of describing fragrances. Sadly, the reviews are often colored by more than just the objective aspect of fragrances, and, while that's neither unexpected nor unfair, the reviews do simply end up as lame opinions in more cases than you'd ...more

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Jul 12, 2018 Kathy Patterson rated it liked it

Snarky, occasionally very entertaining, but also occasionally a bore. Too many low-rated frags by obscure lines I have no desire to explore, and many lines ignored.

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Dec 23, 2019 Chaundra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle, essays, classics

Why would you read (cover to cover no less) a book that is merely a list of relatively short perfume reviews? Well, because I'm a bit of a geek about smells and because I like quirky writing. This book does both in spades. Turin and Sanchez definitely have their bias (pretty sure anything with a vaguely smokey or fougere aspect got an extra star), but they also have encyclopedic knowledge of the trade and the history of perfumes. Agree or disagree, but for anyone who is cultivating their own kno ...more

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Feb 25, 2019 Amy rated it liked it

I have loved three or four of these authors other books, but after reading this one I'm afraid I might have those three permanent confused looking lines people get between their eyebrows.

There is definitely more snark here and some just plain rude comments.

I read this with the computer nearby to look the perfumes up and quite a bit of the ones they gave 4 or 5 stars to got mediocre reviews on Fragrantica. The ones they bashed, got more stellar reviews on Fragrantica. Just as an example, let's ...more

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Aug 26, 2018 Moi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non_fiction, social-history

An absolute must if you are a perfume enthusiast. LT and TS are very experienced in the olfactory arena and obviously are often underwhelmed by the product that issues from the industry. They know the chemistry as well as the artistry and also the fakery and piss-takery.
This volume concentrates on quite a few niche, artisan and independent perfumer's work and rates perfumes according to competency of construction as well as innovation.
Of course we are free to choose what we love and wear in fra ...more

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Feb 22, 2020 Gil Segev rated it liked it · review of another edition

I imagine that at the rate that fragrances get released these days, we should expect a new version of this book by 2023, if not sooner. Already it was somewhat outdated when I read it in early 2020.

This version has a lot more niche and artisan brands than the first, and most are newer releases anyways. A lot of Zoologist, Roja Dove, Byredo, Kilian and the other brands that are on everyone's lips these days.

The opening essays were very good, I wish they were longer. Some of the reviews are except ...more

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Aug 17, 2019 Tin Huynh rated it liked it · review of another edition

Be open minded prior to reading this book as scent is subjective. Most likely, you will not share similar opinions on most of the included perfumes (Turin’s taste is pretty out here and he is not a fan of modern gourmands such as Grand Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Fève Délicieuse by Dior which are two highly regarded fragrances among the community). With that being said, I enjoyed his humorous and creatively descriptive writing. I only wish he had included more well known fragrances so i ...more

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Jan 22, 2019 Emma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, non-fiction

Perfume and reading are my two favorite hobbies, which primed me to find Perfumes: The Guide 2018 a delight. Turin is a huge name in the world of perfume criticism and his writing style -- a mixture of chemical analyses, history of discontinued scents, and derision for scents that don't make the mark -- was entertaining. Sanchez reviews a much smaller percentage of these scents but I really enjoyed her insights as well. I found the format a bit tiresome towards the end of the book but overall re ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Kira Gold rated it it was amazing

I love this follow up to the first book. LT is his usual snarky technical self, of course, but TS humanizes him and keeps the entries funny.
The entries are of current perfumes, relatively easy to acquire, and most of the comparisons are recognizable too.
Whether you agree with the ratings or not, the descriptions are delightful.

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Dec 20, 2018 Monica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, english

It was a bit more difficult to read than the 1st one, because A LOT of the perfumes described here were totally new to me. Still, it was great to have the book and raid the perfume stores in search of new stuff :). Very informative and funny.

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Feb 04, 2019 Rebecca rated it liked it · review of another edition

As someone said elsewhere online, you can find the same reviews for free on Fragrantica. Often with much more detail. It was interesting to read a few reviews like Hermès Twilly, Elie Saab Gardenia, and the Lancôme Maison line.

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Dec 09, 2018 Shirin Alzebari rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not that captivated like the first one!

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Jul 04, 2018 Jessemy rated it it was amazing

They've still got it. ...more

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Dec 31, 2020 Judy Lindow rated it liked it

This is the followup book to the Perfumes The A-Z Guide 10 years later, in 2018. This book covers reviews for 1200 scents, focussing on the small firms and producers known as "niche"perfumeries. Besides the Q and A at the beginning of the book, there's a short essay on the shifting shape of fragrance between 1918 and 2018.

I did not recognize any of the perfumes. So if you're getting your feet wet, definitely start with the A-Z Guide.This book has the Index by Star rating and the Index by Brand. ...more

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Jan 01, 2021 Christy rated it it was amazing

Perfume reviews have no right to be this entertaining. It’s a witty, fun read, but start with the 2008 original book if you haven’t already read it.

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Oct 28, 2019 Anna Mezhova rated it liked it · review of another edition

As much as I enjoyed the original Perfumes guide, this one is not nearly as good. Might have to do with the selection of fragrances (waaay too niche and hard to find)

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Jan 05, 2020 Debbie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I am obsessed with perfumes because of this and its earlier iteration from 2007 (?).

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Apr 22, 2019 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

For me, this was not as enjoyable as the first Guide from 2008, mainly because there were so many niche perfumes that I've never heard of and likely will never get a chance to try. There was also quite an imbalance between the two authors, with Turin doing the vast majority of the reviews. Still, it was a fun read and it did leave me with a small list of perfumes that I would like to try (unlike the first edition, which left me with a list that filled a notebook page). ...more

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Sep 11, 2018 Marzi PECEN rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If you are fans of Luca Turin and Tanya Sanchez and your sensibilities click with theirs this is valuable guide for you. Otherwise, tidbits on fragrances, history, Perfumer’s etc are interesting. Happy to see more niche perfumers than the last decades guide. As always, I like the two word description of each fragrance even if I don’t agree with them. Of course, no one has the same sensory experience as another.

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Nov 06, 2018 Gediminas Kontrimas rated it it was amazing

Privalomas tekstas visiems kvepalų (ne)mylėtojams. Pavyzdys, kaip protingas eruditas sukuria naują kokybę beveik iš nieko. Neabejoju, Turinas įdomiai aprašytų ir klumpių skuobimą bei vyžų pynimą. Metas imtis romano.

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May 01, 2019 Ietrio rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: junk

A nice past time if you find it at the local library. Sadly I could not relate with the text. None of the perfumes that have attracted my attention are there.

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