Luncheon with Richard Stamelman, author of
Perfume: Joy, Obsession, Scandal, Sin

"The history of perfume is, in some manner, the history of civilization." - Eugene Rimmel "The amusement, as well as affliction, of the most noble of our senses, the search for perfume follows no other path than obsession." - Colette The French Library Alliance Française invites you to an elegant buffet luncheon on Thursday, November 30th. Author and professor of romance languages at Williams College, Richard Stamelman will present his latest book: Perfume: Joy, Obsession, Scandal, Sin -- A Cultural History of Fragrance from 1750 to the Present. Following the presentation, Stamelman will be available to sign copies of the book. Perfume will be available for purchase at The French Library Alliance Française. ($85 +tax) Admission:$35 for FAB members; $45 for non-members RSVP required. Please call 617.912.0400.

© Richard Stamelman, Perfume, Joy, Obsession, Scandal, Sin Rizzoli New York, 2006. Available for purchase wherever fine books are sold or by calling 1-800-52BOOKS. For more information, visit www.rizzoliusa.com

More About Stamelman and
Perfume: Luxurious, evocative, and seductive, perfume has enhanced the sensual pleasure of our daily lives for centuries, if not millennia, and its use is pervasive in our literature, art, and society. In Richard Stamelman’s book, Perfume: Joy, Obsession, Scandal, Sin, fragrance is celebrated in all of its olfactory glory, and for all of its cultural influence. As Stamelman thoroughly explores the language and the historical impact of perfume, his unabashed passion for it - and his equally academic interest in it - is contagious. He adroitly moves from topic to topic including the emergence of the perfume bottle as an art nouveau , Napoleon’s idiosyncratic preference for certain scents, the maternal as well as the erotic connotations of perfume, the experimental phases of several perfumers in the world of "anti-perfumes", as well as the poetic symbolism of fragrance. Distinctive bottles for essences such as Chanel No. 5, Shalimar, Arpège, and Joy, and the art movements that inspired their design, are detailed throughout the book, as are paintings, poetry, and literature that reveal the power of perfume and its ability to evoke corporeal sensuality. The volume’s 250 gorgeous illustrations are similarly varied, with photographs, paintings, and reproductions of both vintage and modern advertisements. Exquisite and lavishly illustrated, this definitive publication on perfume captures the glamour, romance, history, and the alluringly powerful cultural impact of fragrance. This thought provoking volume transports readers to France of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, beginning with Napoleon’s love of perfume and the erotic importance he attached to it, through the lore and symbolism fragrance enjoyed in the eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe. By the early twentieth century, perfume’s place as one of France’s most important luxury industries was recognized and celebrated, and timeless fragrances - such as Chanel No. 5, Shalimar, Arpège, and Joy - were launched. The distinctive bottles for these new essences and the art movements that inspired their design are detailed throughout the book, as are paintings, poetry. And literature that recall the power of perfume and its ability to recall the past and evoke sensuality. Through fascinating text accompanied by gorgeous imagery, including packaging, labels, and advertisements,
Perfume: Joy, Scandal, Sin explores perfume’s impact on history, culture, society, art, and attitudes. Richard Stamelman is a professor of romance languages at Williams College . He is an honorary member of the Société Française des Parfumeurs and winner of a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. © Richard Stamelman,
Perfume: Joy, Obsession, Scandal, Sin Rizzoli New York, 2006. Available for purchase wherever fine books are sold or by calling 1-800-52BOOKS. For more information, visit www.rizzoliusa.com