Perfume: A Century of Scents by Lizzie Ostrom will feature on the Radio 2 Fact not Fiction Book Club on Friday 13 November.
The book was selected with the help of a panel made up of Reading Agency and library staff from across the UK. Find out more about the non-fiction strand of the Radio 2 Book Club.
We have 10 copies to give away for one lucky reading group – just visit our Noticeboard. You can also read an exclusive extract of A Century of Scents and get some discussion questions for your reading group.
Perfume: A Century of Scents
Perfume expert Lizzie Ostrom, aka Odette Toilette, tells the stories of 100 perfumes in all their sniffable glory – 10 scents for each decade of the twentieth century.
Beginning with the decadent, Art Nouveau-inspired fragrances of the 1900s, A Century of Scents unveils the fascinating histories of these now-lost masterpieces of fragrance. As the century marches forwards, our guide turns to the scents still loved, loathed and recognised by millions of men and women around the world today, many of which came from the most celebrated creatives of their day.
Odette Toilette will be diving into the bottles, revealing the wild and wonderful ad-campaigns, bringing to life the visionaries who launched these fabulous fragrances and, most importantly, getting to know the people who wore them. Each of the 100 scents – whether a long-lost masterpiece, a guilty pleasure or an infamous success story – is brought to glittering life.
The story of each of the 100 scents builds an alternative history of the year in which it was conceived, revealing just how weird and wonderful these perfumes – and their makers and wearers – have been through the decades.
Selection panel review
Our reading panel from libraries and The Reading Agency really enjoyed A Century of Scents – here are some of their comments:
“Lizzie Ostrom reveals insights into the fragrance industry, from the design of the bottles and links with the fashion world to celebrity endorsements which are far from being a modern trend. What I found most fascinating was the discovery that a particular scent from the 1920s was so popular that it was forever associated as the scent of summer. For us too as it was later copied for use in sun tan lotions.”
“The descriptions make you want to go and smell the scents being discussed and made my passing through the duty free perfume section at the airport this summer a much more educational experience. It’s no mean feat to describe smells for an entire book and still hold the reader’s attention till the end but Lizzie Ostrom manages it with a fun, easy to read style.”
About the author
Since 2010, scent-lover Lizzie Ostrom, aka Odette Toilette, has been turning the world of perfume upside-down with her anarchic, London-based Scratch+Sniff and Vintage perfume events. With her nights inviting audiences to delve into – and sniff – themes as varied as teen nostalgia and scent, Dirty Perfumes (hosted on a bed) and live perfume-making experiences, Lizzie has become one of the most exciting commentators on all things sensory.
A word from Lizzie
“It’s such a thrill to be part of the Radio 2 Book Club. I’m especially pleased that all you library reading groups might start spritzing scent around as you discuss the stories in the book.
Perfume: It’s something lots of us have knocking about, but don’t often have the opportunity to think about in great detail. In this book, I was trying to capture the cultural history of a century through the scents we’ve worn and loved, whether in 1925 or 1985. I’ve told one hundred stories here, but I know that among readers there will be many more: moving, witty, and quirky. I hope you’re moved to share some of your own stories in scent; I know I’d love to hear them.”
Get involved
Tune in to the Radio 2 Arts Show on Friday 13 November to hear an interview with Lizzie Ostrom talking about her book.
Win 10 copies of A Century of Scents for your reading group – just visit our Noticeboard.
Have you read A Century of Scents, do you have a favourite perfume, or is there a particular scent that triggers your memory? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter, using #CenturyofScents or post a review. You can also follow author Lizzie Ostrom on Twitter.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the Radio 2 Book Club Twitter feed or find out more on the Radio 2 Book Club website.
