Perfume

I spent 2 hours today, reading the archived blog of Luca Turin. I was fascinated by this man, this polymath, after reading Chandler Burr's The Emperor of Scent, which chronicles how Turin - a perfume lover - discovered the way the nose perceives smell, and his endeavours to get his theory accepted by the scientific community. I enjoy both perfumes and the written word, and it's fascinating to read his reviews, especially the way he conjures images to convey the scent. I could never understand all those words that wine critics and chocolates connoisseurs use to describe their chosen poisons. But perfume, with its conveying of moods, is altogether different. And Turin's writing is exceptional. Pity that his perfume guide is in French and would not be translated into English. I expect that I would be spending many more hours reading his archived blog, discovering esteemed names in perfumery, and possibly spending a small fortune on perfumes.