Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance

A fascinating exploration of the natural history of scent and human perceptions of fragrance from the viewpoint of plant and pollinator.

Plants have long harnessed the chemical characteristics of aromatic compounds to shape the world around them. Frankincense resin from the genus Boswellia seals injured tissues and protects trees from invading pathogens. Jasmine produces a molecule called linalool that attracts pollinating moths with its flowery scent. Tobacco uses a similarly sweet-smelling compound called benzyl acetone to attract pollinators. Only recently in the evolutionary history of plants, however, have humans learned to co-opt their fragrances to seduce, heal, protect, and alter moods themselves.

In this wide-ranging and accessible new book, biologist-turned-perfumer Elise Vernon Pearlstine turns our human-centered perception of fragrance on its head and investigates plants' evolutionary reasons for creating aromatic molecules. Delving into themes of spirituality, wealth, power, addiction, royalty, fantasy, and more, Pearlstine uncovers the natural history of aromatic substances and their intersection with human culture and civilization.

"An evocative journey that awakens one's curiosity to an oft-forgotten sense." —Dana Dunham, Scientific American

"But though Scent is a story of plants' ingenuity, it is also a tale of the human kind." — The Economist

"In this beautifully crafted and thoroughly researched book, Elise Pearlstine's evocative writing transports us to far-off lands and to long-forgotten times, revealing the fascinating secrets of the fragrance-filled plants that have shaped humanity." —Dr. Stuart Farrimond, author of The Science of Cooking