The Scent Trail: How One Woman's Quest for the Perfect Perfume Took Her Around the World

By Celia Lyttelton

Book Overview

Lyttelton's passion for fragrance inspired her to have a signature perfume created just for her'and then to embark on the ultimate olfactory odyssey. Armed with a list of ingredients, she tracked down each component of her scent, tracing its origins, history, and culture. From the iris fields of Tuscany to the vetivert distilleries of India, from the nutmeg plantations of Sri Lanka to the shores of the Arabian Sea, Celia gives readers a glimpse into the world of scent that few people have ever experienced, providing delicious details on its place in history'for example, how Casanova added small amounts of ambergris to chocolate mousses to aid his amorous adventures, and how Charles Dickens carried a monogrammed pocket nutmeg grater in his waist coat at a time when nutmeg was used to ward off evil and to spice rum.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451226240
• ISBN13: 9780451226242
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A review of: The Scent Trail

I enjoyed reading about the fascinating people that Lyttelton meets on her journey. Also, Lyttelton does an excellent job of describing the scents from the exotic locations that she visited. Scent is difficult to write about, and this book is an example of excellent scent literature. Also, it makes you think about the connection between the farmers in obscure parts of the world and the essential oils that are used to create natural scents. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to develop a better understanding of perfume.

Passionate Journey!

Any perfume lover will enjoy reading about this passionate adventure and will identify with Celia Littleton's determined pilgrimage to the origins of the oils and resins of her custom perfume. Although some of her descriptions seem a bit too abbreviated, she does bring to life her obvious desire to seek scholarship and pay homage to the luscious and precious ingredients of her favorite fragrance materials. I commend her for her tenacious efforts; it is something very few perfume lovers could do. There are some surprisingly interesting observations and cultural facets in this book, and I found it quite compelling. All-in-all, I really enjoyed this journey with her. Thanks Celia, for doing what many of us can only dream of doing!

Pilgrimage of Scent

If you love travel books and perfume, this is perfect. Celia Lyttelton takes her readers behind the scenes to scent sites around the world in her quest to not just create but understand her bespoke perfume. Her style is straightforward and conversational rather than flowery, which I found added punch to her descriptions of fragrance and place. She made me want to run out and sniff whole nutmegs and buttery iris bulbs. This is a book I'll read again and again.

A magical, vicarious thrill. If you love natural aromatics, you must read this book.

The author is a world traveler, led around by her nose and her deep understanding of, and passion for, natural aromatics. Her vivid imagery and ability to describe a scent - which is actually a difficult skill - will waft you along on clouds of smoldering frankincense, sweet and deeply dark jasmine and buttery orris roots drying in the sun. This is one of the most evocative and delightful books I have ever come across on the hypnotic world of natural fragrances. It pulled me in like a suspenseful thriller, a page turner that I just couldn't put down.