Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance

by Elise Vernon Pearlstine, Lara Call Gastinger (Illustrator)

A fascinating exploration of the natural history of scent and human perceptions of fragrance from the viewpoint of plant and pollinator

Plants have long harnessed the chemical characteristics of aromatic compounds to shape the world around them. Frankincense resin from the genus Boswellia seals injured tissues and protects trees from invading pathogens. Jasmine produces a molecule called linalool that attracts pollinating moths with its flowery scent. Tobacco uses a similarly sweet-smelling compound called benzyl acetone to attract pollinators. Only recently in the evolutionary history of plants, however, have humans learned to co-opt their fragrances to seduce, heal, protect, and alter moods themselves.

In this wide-ranging and accessible new book, biologist-turned-perfumer Elise Vernon Pearlstine turns our human-centered perception of fragrance on its head and investigates plants' evolutionary reasons for creating aromatic molecules. Delving into themes of spirituality, wealth, power, addiction, royalty, fantasy, and more, Pearlstine uncovers the natural history of aromatic substances and their intersection with human culture and civilization.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Nature, Natural History, Science, Audiobook, Microhistory

272 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2022

About the author

After a seventeen-year career in wildlife biology, Elise Vernon Pearlstine found a second life as a natural perfumer, consultant, and educator. She conducts classes for corporate and private events, instructing students on the biology, artistry, and history of perfume ingredients. Dr. Pearlstine lives on Amelia Island in northern Florida.

Reviews

[Petra X]

Instead of a blurb, this has the media praise but the average rating is only a 3 (only 2 people rated it). I thought it sounded quite fascinating so we'll have to see if it's a dnf, 3 star or the best thing since Chanel no. 5 blended with Old Spice.

[Mehtap exotiquetv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerüche der natürlichen Welt. Warum gibt es so etwas wie einen Dufstoff? Wie können diese Duftmoleküle mit der Tierwelt kommunizieren? Und wie haben wir diese Gerüche für unseren Gebrauch kultiviert?
Diese Fragen werden in diesem Buch beantwortet.
Dabei veranschaulicht sie auch die Entwicklung und in welchen Gebieten der Erde, welche Pflanzen eine besondere Bedeutung hatten. Alles aus der menschlichen Perspektive.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to In Search of Perfumes, and Revelations in Air, Scent runs you through the different fragrance families. Each book dwells on different areas, and the information is pool is large, so I really enjoy both the similarities and the deep dives. Scent's section on black pepper was particularly interesting to me!

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a somewhat meandering exploration of plants. It felt a little bit like the author was thinking of things as she went along with a loose kind of organization. I would have preferred more discussion of the historical use of plants in religion, industry, in
medicine and the home etc., although the final chapters do include some information about the development of the perfume industry but it is pretty general. Much of the book is devoted the structure and function of plants from a biological perspective, which is somewhat interesting but was not what I was after. However, I did learn some factoids: that bees buzz to dislodge pollen, saffron derives from the crocus flower, people used tobacco to give smoke enemas to remove water in the lungs (:0), and the Dutch traded New Amsterdam (Manhattan) to the British for ownership over valuable nutmeg trading routes and interest in sugar in South America.

[Karel Baloun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tries to do too much, without any thesis or structure. The chapters group classes of scents, and often start with historical stories, then arc towards science, and sometimes end with modern utlity. Pearlstine shows experise in each of those distinct knowledge areas, but any reader would be challenged to attend to the minutia, or remember anything beyond snippets of stories. Pearlstine knows so much, and a different format with more modern editing, had so much potential.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting, my favorite part was about the moths eating the tobacco plant 🪴 that was funny

[EngIIrockz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be thinking about this book as I garden for birds, bees, and fragrance. Also, as I cook, light candles, or sip a hot beverage. She gets fairly scientific, but I enjoyed the book very much.

[Şeyma Gürbüz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to perfume.

[Sheila Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rich book, full of wonderful descriptions and stories, ranging from aromatic timbers for incenses, spices used in cooking, scented flowers and herbs, and the fragrances used in perfumery. The author brings the subject to life by recounting tales of discovery and the explorers who risked their lives to bring scented plants and aromatics (bark, timber, resin, seeds, roots, fruits and leaves) from ‘exotic’ lands to ‘western’ civilisations and explaining how each plant grows and is cultivated. I enjoyed the geography and history recounted in this book as much as the botany. Uses of such a wide range of plant parts and constituents in medicines, cuisine, fashion and gardens for health, mood altering, seduction and more, this account is fascinating.
Frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, spices: pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, vanilla, chocolate, roses, lavender, honeysuckle, gardenia, jasmine, lily…

[Kingosprey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the passages pertaining to history and animal biology intensely interesting but as soon as I arrived at a lengthy explanation of scent chemicals my eyes glazed over and I had to do a lot of rereading. That’s probably my fault as I should have expected this from a book like this.

Every chapter features nicely packaged paragraphs featuring a rockstar of it’s respective place in the kingdom of scents (incenses, spices, herbs, perfumes etc.).

It would be a nice read over time. Set it on the bedside table and pick it up to relax before bed. You can better absorb the multitude of fun facts this book has.

[rainbow trout · Rating 4 out of 5]

not often you find a book that feels specifically tailored to your two niche interests (fragrance and botany)

I found it super readable and very entertaining, although I think it was a bit scattershot with the chapter groupings. Very much appreciated the in depth info about the why of natural sources of fragrance (from frankincense and myrrh to ambergris and jasmine and chocolate and tons more). The author even details the natural ranges and environments of the plants and how they effect their fragrance. I loved the narrative form and hope this book finds its readers as the fragrance hobby becomes more popular!

[Tessa S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely little read. I enjoyed this book in small doses, savoring it like some of the perfumes mentioned in it!
The author did well combing science (some of which I’m very familiar with, and started my career in aka plant insect interactions, so this is entomologist approved!), history and personal anecdotes.

I would have wanted a deeper dive into more history, but the work covers a lot of very different plants (and their smells).

[Alexis Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

My god, what atrocious writing. I can’t recall reading a worse nonfiction book. It appears no editor bothered to read it? Information is repetitive and often out of order. Random facts are splashed throughout historical tales and descriptions of research papers so that it feels like the author is showing off her knowledge without any consideration for the readers ability to learn anything from it. Such a missed opportunity.

[Jeana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty slow reading with lots of scientific composition details. I don't think I was expecting this book to be so focused on the science of scent especially as the subtitle specifically referred to the natural history of fragrance. It was still an interesting read and I feel much more informed on the composition of scent.

[Katra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great overall history of the things our noses love from how they grow, to how we get them, critters that interact with them, and how we react to them. It's all here in my hand which is about to put it down to spritz on a bit of one of my favorites.

[Mantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book if you are an inexperienced someone exploring the world of scent—mostly if you are into fun facts.

A book that i think i will skim a second time before returning it to the library but not pick up a personal copy. Not for now anyway

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snooze fest. Pearlstine is obviously a scientist, but much less a skilled writer. The book jumped around, had strange transitions and focused a lot more on insects and pollinators than scent.

[Emily Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful and informative

[Emily Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Pearlstine is definitely a biologist first and a writer second.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing world changing but very workmanlike collection of information on fragrance, and perfect for anyone who wants a broad pop-science type overview.

[Giselle]

DNF 59%

[KR · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but it was so horribly written I couldn’t finish it. Parts of it read like it hadn’t been edited.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never finished this book and decided to put this one aside because it seemed to veer off of what I was expecting and became more of a book on biology than scent. It is well written and i would not judge it from that but I became a bit dissapointed that it was not more focused on the aspects of scent.
The author is a parfumer but states that in researching Myrrh she did not go to the countries where it is grown to see how it is harvested etc or to sample different types of Myrrh and I thought; hmm this is rather odd. I felt that if you are going to write on something as seemingly important as the actual base scents found in various consumer products than one should at least go to these places and experience the substances which make up these aromas, scents, essences etc.
I was just a bit put off by that and I continued on until about the half way point and decided to read something else. So i've set it aside to possibly come back to again but for the moment it shall live on the bookshelf for awhile.
It is interesting what she writes about and as I said, it is well written and easy to follow her thoughts and all but well I don't need to repeat what I've already written.
Try it out, maybe you like it and maybe you will take away from it more than I did.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from reading it. This is after all my personal opinion, nothing more.

[Dianne Bright · Rating 5 out of 5]

SCENT is a fantastic historical account of spices, perfumes, oils, and plants. As a nonfiction resource, it’s also telling a story that connects the dots through space and time. One we all connect with whether we realize it or not!