Book Information
Japanese titles (English glosses): World Perfume Guide 1437: Five-Star Ratings by the “Emperor of Scent”
World Perfume Guide II 1885: Five-Star Ratings by the “Emperor of Scent”
World Perfume Guide III 1208: Five-Star Ratings by the “Emperor of Scent”
(Original title: Perfumes The A-Z Guide)
Authors: Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
Years of publication: I: 2008
II: 2010 (revised in 2020)
III: 2019
Publisher: Hara Shobo
Until recently, it was thought impossible to speak intelligently about the artistry of perfume. Somehow, it has become something we must discuss.
Tania Sanchez
Book Review
32 Rue Cambon, Chanel
Have I ever had such a beautiful, soul-captivating impression etched into me the instant I smelled a fragrance? Yet its moving softness and elegance are not the essence of this scent. Classical masterpieces like this are, by definition, said to stand on the shoulders of giants. And they are aware of their own irresistible charm. …[abridged]
Luca Turin
Volumes I and II have almost the same content, and II is rather like a revised edition, so I recommend buying II and III. Simply buying the five-star perfumes in this book can introduce you to a wide range of celebrated fragrances. Some readers give up partway through because the guide is so scathing, but Turin’s nose has won high praise from perfumers, and although the judgments are subjective, the varied language is extremely useful. The descriptions by Turin’s excellent partner, Tania Sanchez, are interesting too.
The opening sections also cover the history of the perfume industry and a Q&A, so I recommend reading at least those. If you stopped reading because Luca Turin harshly criticized a perfume you love, try reading The Emperor of Scent first. At the same time, recognizing that one person’s assessment does not necessarily capture everything about a fragrance, and reading this as one way of enjoying scent, may broaden your horizons.
Tania Sanchez, who writes the reviews alongside Turin, is Turin’s wife, and I also find it interesting that the two do not always agree in their assessments.
Whether something smells good is where opinions differ most. So even a perfume rated highly in this book may smell unbearable to one person, while for another it may be the treasure of a lifetime. But we, the reviewers, can guarantee that if you try the perfumes rated highly here, you will experience something of the finest masterpieces of modern perfumery.
Tania Sanchez
Purchase Information
World Perfume Guide II (Japanese edition): Buy from Le Sillage here
World Perfume Guide III (Japanese edition): Buy from Le Sillage here
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