W. W. Norton
Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance
$28
Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance by biologist and perfumer Elise Vernon Pearlstine explores fragrance from the perspective of plants and pollinators. She reveals how plants use aromatic compounds to protect themselves and attract pollinators—and how humans have harnessed those scents for healing, mood, and pleasure.
Blending natural history with cultural history, Pearlstine traces the many ways fragrance has shaped human life and invites us to reconsider scent as more than a human experience.