Customer Reviews

The Art of Perfume: Discovering and Collecting Perfume Bottles

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an avid collector of advertisements and literature on perfume, this is the first book I always recommend to fellow collectors. In the past ten or twelve years, many books were published to cater to the exploding popularity of perfume bottles as a collectors item. Christie Lefkowith's book stands out because of its focus on the ART of perfume bottles (hence the title), rather than their monetary value. Bottles are viewed in the cultural context of their time, with photographs of by far THE best quality I have ever seen in perfume books. I agree with the previous reviewer, though: too bad the book ends with the fifties. There should be a sequel.

This book is lavished with the most magnificent perfume bottles and their pacaging. full color photos of Lalique, Baccarat, and other exquisite bottles along with the histories of the fragrance companies who commissioned them. There is also an index of these companies for quick refrence. I found the title missleading. the author is of the belief that the "art of perfume" died 30 years ago. All of the bottles are from the late 1800's to the 1960's and I feel that the title should have mentioned this. If you collect antique bottles or are looking for a good fragrance history book, this is a must.

I know that the writers are savvy perfume bottle collectors. They have incorporated years of experience into this book. That is the reason why that among all the books on this subject, this one is the most appealing. I have also used part of her materials (w/permission) to write my book (published in Chinese).

This book does an excellent job of showing the cream of the crop of collectable 19th and 20th century perfume bottles (and often their presentation boxes). The text is profusely illustrated with small black and white photos, while also containing several full color sections illustrating in detail hundreds of different bottles. The text goes into intricate detail for the novice to expert collector without dumbing it up or talking down. The 16 pages of concise bibliographys at the back are infinately useful, if you are wondering when where why who or how a house started its probably in this list. Jam packed with facts, tips, annecdotes and illustrations by a TRUE expert in the field.