Table of Contents

Introduction by Catherine Wright

Prologue
1. The Main Theme 1748-1774
2. The Touches from the Heart 1774-1782
3. The Basic Tenor 1782-1794
Epilogue

Appendix 1: The Palette of Jean-Louis Fargeon
Appendix 2: Procedures for the Manufacture of Perfumes
Notes

Promotional Information

The untold story of Marie Antoinette's perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon.

About the Author

Elisabeth de Feydeau obtained a PhD in the history of perfume at the University of Paris-Sorbonne. She is a professor at the Versailles School of Perfumers and cultural adviser to France's great perfume houses, including Christian Dior, Thierry Mugler, Chanel, Guerlain and Lancaster. She is the author of several books, including Diptyque, The Guerlain Novel and The Herbarium of Marie Antoinette, which has been translated into several languages. She was awarded the Prix Guerlain for this book in 2005 and was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2011.

Reviews

An entrancing biography.
*Elle*

A subtly distilled life. Fargeon’s impressions of Marie Antoinette are particularly compelling.
*New Yorker*

Rhapsodic and piquant… full of information.
*New York Review of Books*

The book’s heroes are Marie Antoinette, perfume and Fargeon in that order, but what emerges is a powerful evocation of a lost world.
*The Times*

Learning about Fargeon’s relationship with the Queen and about the fragrances that he compounded is particularly relevant for me. It is also fascinating to read about the ingredients, many of which are used to this day.
*Vanity Fair*

De Feydeau’s descriptions of Versailles Palace’s obsessions with coiffure, fashion, perfume and cosmetics are alluring.
*Daily Telegraph*

De Feydeau’s lively account gives the reader an additional twist on the life and times of Marie Antoinette and her influence on two of France’s continuing major industries – fashion and scent.
*Washington Post*

Interesting and well-written.
*French Magazine*