Useful Books For Amateur Perfumers

Perfumes: The A-Z Guide. Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. Penguin (Non-Classics). Paperback - Oct. 27, 2009. ISBN: 978-0143115014
- the “go to” guide to fragrances with sometimes snarky reviews

The New Perfume Handbook (2nd Ed.) Groom, Nigel. Chapman & Hall, London: 1997. ISBN 0-7514-0403-9
Perhaps a little old now, but excellent articles on perfume materials and methods of extraction, botanical origins, etc.

The Essence of Perfume. Dove, Roja. Black Dog Publishing, London: ND. ISBN 978-1-906155-49-0
Very detailed about perfume ingredients, both natural and the more important synthetics. Also, lots of information about making perfumes, proportions of top, middle, and base notes in different formulations, etc.

The Secret of Scent. Turin, Luca. Harper Collins, New York: 2006. ISBN 0-06-113383-3
Turin's book on his theory on the physical mechanism of smell, but also full of interesting information about the breakdown ingredients of natural oils, etc.

What the Nose Knows. Gilbert, Avery. Crown, New York: 2008. ISBN 978-1-4000-8234-6
A book that includes interesting information about recent scientific studies of olfactory acuity, among other things.

Essence and Alchemy. Aftel, Mandy. North Point Press, New York: 2001. ISBN0-86547-553-9
An interesting book about historical and practical perfumery from a person who taught herself how to make scents.

The Chemistry of Fragrances. D.H. Pybus, C.S. Sell. Royal Society of Chemistry; 1 edition (October 20, 2004). ISBN-13: 978-0854045280

The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession, and the Last Mystery of the Senses. Chandler Burr. Random House; 1st edition (January 21, 2003). ISBN-13: 978-0375507977

Very few books are to be found on the technical side, or the compounding one, and fewer are modern books. As someone stated, perfumery is "an art without a handicraft"; teaching and schools are restricted to the happy few who are prone to develop a career into industry or are alredy in career.

So the "professional" knowledge is scarce between amateur "perfumistas" .

Among the recent technical books i could quote the following:

\tCalkin Jellinek; Perfumery practice & principles; Wiley & sons, 1994; ISBN 0471589349

\tBedoukian, P.; Perfumery and flavoring synthetics; Allured, 1986; ISBN 091371012X

\tCurtis, T. Williams, D.; Introduction to perfumery; Micelle Press, Weymouth, 2001; ISBN 9781870228244

\tLamparsky, T., Mueller, P.M.; Perfumes, art science and technology; Kluwer or Elsevier, 1991 ISBN 1-85166-573-0

Of course every book focuses on a particular aspect of the art, so don't expect to find a comprehensive treatise or manual to teach you all you want to learn. Practice and patience are as important as a good smelling technique and the knowledge of the raw materials.
Some books ask for a little or more knowledge of the odorants chemistry and terminology, as they are intended for a specialized audience.

Suggestions for more and newer books are very appreciated.