{"product_id":"elixir-9781399803267","title":"Elixir","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet amidst the unforgettable sights and smells of 18th and 19th Century Paris, \u003ci\u003eElixir\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of Edouard Laugier and Auguste Laurent, the son of a perfumer and a fellow aspiring chemist, who met on the Left Bank while pursuing their passion for science. Spurned by the scientific establishment of the time, the pair ended up working out of Edouard''s family perfume shop, \u003ci\u003eLaugier père et fils. \u003c\/i\u003e By day they prepared the revitalizing elixirs and rejuvenating eaux it was famous for, but by night using the ingredients and techniques of the perfumery and the principles of alchemy, they pursued the secret of life itself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeautifully written, , \u003ci\u003eElixir\u003c\/i\u003e reads like a novel, brimming with eccentric characters, experimental daring, and the romance of the Bohemian salon. It is also the story of a long-standing scientific puzzle. and the struggle to gain acceptance and recognition for a new way of thinking about the building blocks of living matter which went on l\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you read this book you will be changed. For those of us who make a living assembling words to describe smells, \u003cb\u003ethis book feels like an actual elixir. Absolutely stunning\u003c\/b\u003e -- Kiese Laymon, MacArthur Fellow and author of HEAVY: AN AMERICAN MEMOIR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDizzying and fragrant \u003c\/b\u003ewith elegant and riveting sentences, Levitt takes us on a most fascinating journey from the bloody revolutions to the chemistry labs of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century France, all to glimpse the glorious pursuit of scent. \u003cb\u003eTruly a captivating achievement!\u003c\/b\u003e -- Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of WORLD OF WONDERS\u003cbr\u003e\"Here is where the story begins,\" promises Levitt at the end of her prologue, and though it's only page four, already we're hooked. Who knew that the history of perfume would incorporate not only alchemy, botany, and fermentation, but intrigue, secrets, and scandal? \u003cb\u003eThis thoroughly researched tale is also thoroughly gripping and thoroughly readable. \u003ci\u003eElixir\u003c\/i\u003e is a fabulous accomplishment\u003c\/b\u003e -- Beth Ann Fennelly, Poet Laureate of Mississippi and author of HEATING \u0026amp; COOLING\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA fascinating tale of discovery, wonder, and revolution.\u003c\/b\u003e Beautifully written and deeply researched, it shows how the paths to artificial dyes, bottled soda, and Pasteur's breakthrough all ran through a humble perfume shop. With \u003cb\u003eremarkable historical and literary skill\u003c\/b\u003e, Levitt reveals how the quest to supply queenly scents and Napoleon's bathwater ended up interrogating the most profound questions of life and death -- Matthew Stanley, author of EINSTEIN'S WAR\u003cbr\u003eAs Paris was rocked by waves of revolutionary zeal and lines blurred between cosmetics and medicines, two ambitious young chemists raced to investigate if there was something special - even unique - about matter that came from living things. \u003cb\u003eA riveting read!\u003c\/b\u003e -- David Kaiser, author of QUANTUM LEGACIES\u003cbr\u003eAt a time when the boundaries between scientists, salesmen, and charlatans were as blurry as productive, Levitt describes how investigations about health and hygiene were inseparable from the desire to smell good. The laboratories that gave us modern chemistry were not places where the disturbances of the outside world were kept out, but rather where they were welcomed in to be distilled and repackaged in their most intoxicating form. \u003cb\u003eThis highly original work shows us that scientific truth is not only messier than we have previously considered it to be - it is smellier\u003c\/b\u003e -- Jimena Canales, author of BEDEVILED\u003cbr\u003e[A] \u003cb\u003efascinating\u003c\/b\u003e account of the birth pangs of organic chemistry -- The Times\u003cbr\u003eComprehensive . . . enjoyable . . . and\u003cb\u003e most beguiling\u003c\/b\u003e -- The Economist\u003cbr\u003eLevitt writes in\u003cb\u003e a lively style\u003c\/b\u003e, making the sights, sounds and smells of 18th and 19th century Europe come to life\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e -- Mail on Sunday\u003cbr\u003eWritten with the \u003cb\u003epropulsive \u003c\/b\u003eflow of a novel\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e -- Science\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA delightful history\u003c\/b\u003e of science and scent at the dawn of the modern age' -- Financial Times Best Summer Books 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA detailed yet absorbing adventure story\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Deploying superb detection skills, academic Theresa Levitt has rescued from obscurity two friends, Edouard Laugier and Auguste Laruent, who searched for chemical order in living material - that is, the essence of life itself\u003c\/p\u003e -- BBC History Magazine","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49407783829847,"sku":"9781399803267","price":23.09,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/elixir-9781399803267","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}