The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession

by Chandler Burr

Book Overview

The Emperor of Scent 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, chemistry, and physics, Turin used his obsession with perfume and his eerie gift for smell to turn the cloistered worlds of the smell business and science upside down, leading to a solution to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375759816
• ISBN13: 9780375759819
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Riveting Page Turner

The Emperor of Scent is a scientific page turner and five-star read that details the development of a new theory of the sense of smell by Luca Turin, an Italian-born, French raised biologist/physiologist at University College, London. Turin is a Renaissance man with competencies in physiology, biology, chemistry, and physics and a life-long fascination with scents and the sense of smell. Among his accomplishments are the development of a comprehensive guide to perfumes, of which he is a connoisseur. He is also passionate about opera and knowledgeable about wines. Unfortunately, Turin's considerable talents do not include the management of academic politics and the ability to humor slower mortals. The Emperor of Scent follows Turin's revival of a previously discredited theory of how the nose processes smell, and his herculean efforts to publish the results of his research. Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that Turin's research could potentially revolutionize the science of smell and the development of commercial fragrances, he encounters stunning difficulties in publishing his results and gaining the attention of the scientific community. The novelty of Turin's theory presents one barrier to acceptance. Additional barriers are created by Turin's reputation (partially justified) as a difficult, eccentric and renegade scientist, as well as by the fact that his theory embraces aspects of biology, chemistry and physics, which discomforts scientists who have difficulties in bridging diverse disciplines. In combination, these conditions dissuade the scientific community from considering Turin's work seriously. The Emperor of Scent is a fascinating read. It is not a balanced journalistic account-- according to the author, Turin's theory is so unnerving to the scientific establishment that Turin's opponents almost uniformly refuse to read and comment upon his work. The book therefore focuses on Turin's rejection by the scientific community, and in so doing offers a briiliant case study of closed-mindedness in the dissemination of ideas. This outcome is unfortunate, because Turin's theory (at least to this non-scientist) seems highly credible. The refusal to consider Turin's theory is also a fascinating cautionary tale of how readily established elites reject innovators-- particularly unpedigreed, outspoken innovators like Luca Turin. The Emperor of Scent explores these themes brilliantly. Yet another reason to read and enjoy The Emperor of Scent is to make the acquaintance of Luca Turin, a scientific ground-breaker in the tradition of Galileo or Copernicus. Turin's forays into the perfume industry and his eccentric lifestyle also make for fascinating reading. Highly recommended-- a five star read. One quibble: The Emperor of Scent does not portray the ending to Turin's saga very clearly. At book's end, he has turned his research interests to other areas and earlier allusions in the book indicate that he has lost his post at Univ

Passes the sniff test

As a former denizen of the NIH, I concur with most of the suggestions about how institutions protect the accepted and reflexively reject anything too different. As a former scientist, Turin's arguments made great sense to me and were fully creditable. As a student of Everett M. Rogers Diffusions of Innovations, I can readily believe that Turin falls directly into the Innovator group and will out of hand be rejected by even his closest friends.All of that said, this is an excellent book , well worth reading, not only for the fascinating theory of scent, but also about the lethargy with which the scientific community accepts radically new ideas (or rejects them).For any one who has been at the NIH or a major university this book will remind them of the politics and the pettiness of these great institutions. I loved my 4.5 years at the NIH for the extraordinarily brilliant people there. Nonetheless, I was constantly amazed at the puerile behavior of some of those geniuses.

Absolutely amazing book

I've dabbled for years with essential oils and always was at a loss to describe their effects and sensations. The man that the book is telling us about is a true Victorian polymath: a multifaceted scientist, an effete snob, an accurate, passionate descriptive writer of the senses. I laughed out loud dozens of times, was driven mad with desire to smell some of these substances and perfumes, was angered by the intransigence of the scientific community.This is just a great and fascinating read, gliding effortlessly between topics with great irony and clarity.

Not to be missed

This may be the best popular scientific book ever written.The writing style flows from beginning to end without a single misjudged word or phrase. It seems much more like a thriller thana story of intellectual discovery. As the reader is drawn along by the narrative, key technical concepts are absorbed almost by osmosis.This is cutting edge science presented so clearly that it seems self-evident, even though it involves advanced concepts in physics, chemistry, and biology.Luca Turin is the ideal subject, a man who would be fascinating even if he didn't produce revolutionary science. The reader ends the book waiting for the scientific community to wake up and FedEx his Nobel Prize without delay.The highest praise to Chandler Burr for giving us an unforgettable portrait of Luca Turin and his pursuit of the mystery of smell. It seems unlikely that anyone will pick up this book without eagerly devouring it and wishing that every book on science could be half this good.

A joy to read!

Chandler Burr has created a riveting portrait of an astonishing man, Luca Turin, and his quest to unravel the mystery of olfaction. Burr's descriptions of Turin's work are seamless, and the reader is left with triumph and indignation at the refusal to consider Turin's theory by the scientific community. The book reminds me of McPhee at his best, ferreting into the joy of a magnificent obsession with infectious enthusiasm. The asides on the industry and nature of scent are fascinating, and the reviews of perfumes by Luca Turin make one wish for samples to be part of the book! A thrilling read!!