Author:Lizzie Ostrom
'Wonderful . . . Charming and illuminating. I loved it' INDIA KNIGHT
'A really enjoyable, fun book' CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN
'Beautifully written . . . A perfect gift' CATHY RENTZENBRINK
The incredible stories of 100 perfumes from a whole century of scents.
Signature scents and now lost masterpieces; the visionaries who conceived them; the wild and wonderful campaigns that launched them; the women and men who wore them - every perfume has a tale to tell.
Beautifully illustrated and extremely insightful, Perfume: A Century of Scents is a lush journey into the scents that have changed the world.
A wonderful, well-informed read... Charming and illuminating... I loved it… if you're thinking about Christmas presents I would buy it...
—— India Knight , SpectatorLizzie Ostrom’s entertaining romp through a century of perfumes, ten per decade from 1900 to 1999… This book is as delectable an artefact as the product it describes… the perfect accompaniment to a bottle of J’Adore in your stocking.
—— Suzi Feay , IndependentA really enjoyable, fun book... a great stocking filler.
—— BBC Radio 2 Fact Not Fiction Book Club , The Arts Show with Claudia WinklemanBeautifully written and illustrated with a sumptuous cover, this would make a perfect gift.
—— Cathy Rentzenbrink , StylistMore social history than beauty book... the witty insights and fun, chatty style make this a lush treat or a gorgeous gift.
—— Alexandra Heminsley , The DebriefThe perfect non-fiction stocking filler for perfume aficionados and beauty lovers... One of the most gorgeous covers this Christmas... A Century of Scents will inform and entertain
—— Natalie Xenos , CultureflyA joyous canter through important scents launched during each decade of the twentieth century... a fabulous read. It would also make an excellent present for a perfume or beauty fan.
—— Amanda Carr , The Women's RoomA series of engaging vignettes… acute social commentary and fascinating anecdotes.
—— Juanita Coulson , The LadyGloriously evocative.
—— Femail , Daily MailA giddying, gleeful whistlestop tour of the 20th century... Ostrom has the enthusiasm and mischievous twinkle of TV historian Lucy Worsley.
—— Rebecca Franks , We Love This BookA book to savour... an education and a pleasure. I couldn’t recommend it for fragrance lovers more highly.
—— Jane Cunningham , British Beauty BloggerWitty and elegant... works like an enticing spell.
—— Louise Gorrod , The Simple ThingsAn intriguing, intoxicating guide to all things perfume.
—— Book of the Week , New! magazineThis is a wonderful book... will appeal to readers of fashion biographies and fashion history and anyone will a love of scent.
—— Catherine Amey , Fashion Bookworm[Tindall] has written an absorbing account… This is a work of love and scholarship.
—— Catholic HeraldA thoughtful and engaging interpretation of London’s history through metaphors of tunneling and excavation.
—— Richard Dennis , History TodayEnchanting.
—— Daily TelegraphFascinating… One of her strengths is to discover historical first-person narratives, and this, plus her extensive research, make her book an entertaining and informative read
—— Chris Nancollas , TabletEngaging… It’s an entertaining book. Crossrail should stock copies on its trains, ready for the inevitable day when signal failure traps thousands of us between Bedlam and a plague pit.
—— Richard Morrison , The TimesThe Journey of Humanity is a good summary of growth theories and is an elegantly written and accessible book
—— Irish TimesGalor argues that climate policy should not be restricted to cutting carbon but should also involve "pushing hard for gender equality, access to education and the availability of contraceptives, to drive forward the decline in fertility". India will do well to heed that advice
—— New Indian ExpressThe Journey of Humanity stretches from the emergence of Homo sapiens to the present day, and has a lot to say about the future, too. In just over 240 pages it covers our migration out of Africa, the development of agriculture, the Industrial Revolution and the phenomenal growth of the past two centuries. It takes in population change, the climate crisis and global inequality ... There will be inevitable comparisons with Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens ... If you need an evidence-based antidote to doomscrolling, here it is ... Galor builds his case meticulously, always testing his assumptions against the evidence, and without the sense of agenda-pushing that accompanies other boosterish thinkers - the Steven Pinkers or Francis Fukuyamas of this world
—— GuardianIncredibly wide-ranging and detailed historical and even anthropological examination of the myriad factors that have brought success and failure to nations ... Lively and learned
—— Tim Hazledine, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Auckland , Inerest.co.nzAn optimist's guide to the future ... Oded Galor's 'Sapiens'-like history of civilisation predicts a happy ending for humanity
—— GuardianEnjoyable and intriguing
—— Steven Poole , GuardianAn antidote to doomscrolling
—— Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2022*A great historical fresco
—— Le MondeBreathtaking. A new Sapiens
—— L'ExpressAmbitious and deep ... the product of genuine scholarship
—— Jason Furman, economics professor at Harvard, former advisor to Barack Obama , #1 Best Economics Book of 2022, FiveBooks.com