⋙ [PDF] Gratis The Emperor of Scent A True Story of Perfume and Obsession Chandler Burr 9780375759819 Books

The Emperor of Scent A True Story of Perfume and Obsession Chandler Burr 9780375759819 Books

Download As PDF : The Emperor of Scent A True Story of Perfume and Obsession Chandler Burr 9780375759819 Books

The Emperor of Scent A True Story of Perfume and Obsession Chandler Burr 9780375759819 Books

It is good to know about Luca Turin, his theory about olfaction, and how science is a field where egos fight for fame and not for truth. First half of the book may be too technical sometimes, but still interesting for someone who wants to know more about the world of scent. Turin must be quite a character, and also quite an ego, but authentic. I enjoyed reading this book.


Tags : The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession [Chandler Burr] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The <b>Emperor of Scent</b> tells of the scientific maverick Luca Turin, a connoisseur and something of an aesthete who wrote a bestselling perfume guide and bandied about an outrageous new theory on the human sense of smell. Drawing on cutting-edge work in biology,Chandler Burr,The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession,Random House Trade Paperbacks,0375759816,General,Science & Technology,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Business,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Science & Technology,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,General Adult,Great BritainBritish Isles,HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM,History,MEDICAL Neuroscience,Non-Fiction,SCIENCE General,SCIENTISTS,Scientists - General,United States,nonfiction books;biography science;science of perfume;science of smell;fragrance makers;perfume industry;history books;science books;nonfiction;scientific mystery;scent creation;perfume makers;fragrances;science history;history;science biography;scientist;sense of smell;perfume;smells;Luca Turin;neuroscience;science;business;biography;non-fiction;scent;chemistry;smell;biology;fragrance;perfumery;biographies;biography autobiography;true story;inspirational;true stories;bios;non fiction;memories,perfume; science; biography; non-fiction; scent; chemistry; smell; history; biology; fragrance; perfumery; nonfiction books; biography science; science of perfume; science of smell; fragrance makers; perfume industry; history books; science books; nonfiction; scientific mystery; scent creation; perfume makers; fragrances; science history; science biography; scientist; sense of smell; smells; Luca Turin; neuroscience; business; biographies; biography autobiography; true story; inspirational; true stories; bios; non fiction; memories,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Business,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Science & Technology,MEDICAL Neuroscience,SCIENCE General,Scientists - General,Biography Autobiography,Human Nervous System,Scientists,Biography & Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography

The Emperor of Scent A True Story of Perfume and Obsession Chandler Burr 9780375759819 Books Reviews

Beware There is a lot of science in this book. If you want a casual read about the perfumed world, look elsewhere. If you seek to understand scent, read it.
This book changed the way I view scent and why some of my favorite scents no longer transport me fully to a specific time /place due to cheap formulation changes. A fascination look into the politics and manufacturing of scent!
I love books that teach about something you would not ordinarily even think about. Well written---some of it too scientific for me but on the whole it was a page turner.
Luca Turin is a modern day Renaissance man, a biologist who learns chemistry, physics, marketing, and international business development to launch a revolutionary new theory to explain the operational mechanism of smell. While others believe on limited theoretical basis and evidence that we smell by detecting the shape of molecules, Turin is convinced the mechanism is based on the electrical vibrations inherent in the atomic bonds. Turin spends years developing evidence to support his hypothesis, some of it involving smelling dangerous molecules, dealing with Russian businessmen, and traveling to exotic locations in search of the best ingredients.

Turin develops the quantum mechanical calculational methods to determine the vibrations of the molecules. At the end of the day, the man has a lot of evidence that his peers dont understand (you need to be world class in biology, chemistry, and physics), dont believe (they say smell is subjective) or dont want to hear because it threatens their life's work.

Turin is in the unfortunate position of being unable to convince his peers that vibration is the ticket to smell. Even the venerable Nature magazine hung him out to dry for more than a year as it dealt with referees who ultimately were non-believers. The public and his students loved Turin's BBC specials but it held no weight with the academics. In this regard Turin is his own worst enemy, since his experimental methods are as unpredictable and tempermental as the man himself. As a chemical engineer, while I could understand some of where Turin is going with this theory, I can see how many could be unconvinced. Self-promotion, arrogance, confrontation, sharp language, lack of patience, and lust for riches and Nobel prizes do not help the man's case.

It is only possible to admire Turin, as see that he followed the path of his greatest interests, for years trading professional and commercial success for the chance to pursue an eclectic grab-bag of subjects. Perhaps he is the only man on earth who is sufficiently knowlegeable in biology, fragrances, molecular and electo-chemistry, and quantum mechanisms to understand how smell works. His argument that the fragrance houses develop new molecules by hand rather than through predictive methods is a kick to the ground for the rival shapists.

Chandler Burr is a phenomenal writer, later the NY Times smell critic and a lonely museum curator. He has also written about the launch of new fragrances and the working of that industry. In the Emperor of Scent, Burr tells a terrific story, capturing the passion of Turin and the resistance of his peers. Burr tries like hell to explain the technology and fails at times. I am certain his editor like Stephen Hawkings told him to avoid any equations or non-child like charts that would have better explained these concepts, in the interests of actually selling the book. Burr tends towards long-winded narratives, excessive use of dialogue, and more description than analysis but has still put together a classic book.
Well, I haven't finished this book (I guess I am a slow reader or just don't have the time!). but what I have read is great! Can't wait to take this book with me on my vacation so that I can really enjoy this book.
The sense of smell is the most neglected, most protected, of our senses, especially in the developed world. So many of us are so far removed from smell, we ignore, distrust, or fear this sense. Scientists believe that the human sense of smell is every bit as good as that of our best friend, dogs. We just haven't developed it to the degree they have, Luca Turin exempted.

Yet the sense of smell is also the most primitive of the senses, and the most evocative. A particular smell can transport me back to a certain time or place more effectively than a song, or an image. Olfaction is wired to a more primitive part of the brain, which may explain its power and its unconscious influence.

But smell is also our most amazing sense. The resolving power of our sense of smell is orders of magnitude greater than the eye or the ear; in our noses we have the olfactory equivalent of a telescope AND a microscope (a scanning tunneling microscope, to be exact, if Turin is right). We can dectect the minutest difference between two chemicals, and scientists have shown that we can detect the presence of perhaps a SINGLE molecule among trillions of other particles.

And yet, smell is also the least understood of the senses. It has resisted classification and analysis, probably because of our own reluctance and disconnection to it.

That's what I loved about this book. It was an eye-opening (nose-opening?) examination of something I give so little thought to. And the more you think about it, the more you read this book, the more amazed you are that you have this thing, and how it works just blows your mind. It also reintroduced me to the pleasures of this sense that I usually neglect.

I am not a scientist in any of these fields and therefore am not really competent to evaluate, but Turin's theory smells right to me. While the mechanism is exotic, it seems to me quantum mechanics (Vibration) would be easier to do in the nose than what the Shapists propose. Therefore, according to the scientific principles of parsimony and Occam's razor, Turin's theory deserves careful examination if for no other reason.

Sadly, the theme of the tale, as Turin himself understands, is not unique to him. Vested interests and petty jealousy very often impede the process of discovery. Science is still a human endeavor.

This book is

1) A fascinating tour of scents and how we experience them

2) An scientific discussion of how the sense of smell works

3) A profile of a fascinating person

4) A tragedy about cruel scientific orthodoxy and intellectual martyrdom. The casuality is not so much Turin as the process of discovery itself.

Very highly recommended!
I loved this book when I read it years ago, loaned it out, lost track of it. So I decided I had to have another copy. A really great true story.
It is good to know about Luca Turin, his theory about olfaction, and how science is a field where egos fight for fame and not for truth. First half of the book may be too technical sometimes, but still interesting for someone who wants to know more about the world of scent. Turin must be quite a character, and also quite an ego, but authentic. I enjoyed reading this book.