Five things Amanda Hampson learned while researching for The French Perfumer.
- The term ‘perfume’ is derived from the Latin ‘fumum’ meaning ‘through smoke’. The fragrant smoke of burned materials was thought to be divine, sending prayers to heaven.
- Perfume was once a privilege of the rich and the cost of materials was irrelevant. From early last century, the decadent and rare raw materials began to be synthesised to make perfume cheaper and therefore more widely available.
- A kilo of the best quality French jasmine comprises five million blossoms and costs around $50,000 – that’s triple the price of gold.
- A perfumer (known as a ‘nose’) is an artist who ‘paints’ with layers of fragrance. It’s a long and involved process with many ‘drafts’ that are put away to be revisited and revised over the development period.
- Perfumers attempt to capture a moment or a feeling. Jacques Guerlain was inspired to create L’Heure Bleue (The Blue Hour) when walking by the Seine one evening. He set out to capture the sense of that twilight hour when ‘the night has not yet found its star’.
Want to read Marian Keyes’s books but aren’t sure where to start? Check out this run-down on the bestselling author and her many wonderful works.
Generate a husband in honour of Holly Gramazio’s debut novel, The Husbands.
Easter is just around the corner, and more and more parents are opting to gift books instead of chocolate.
Author and motorsport journalist Andrew van Leeuwen shares some surprising facts (and fictions) about the sport.
A long weekend means bonus reading time! Here's what the PRH team recommend picking up this easter break.
Win big with the brand-new novel from the International No 1 Bestselling phenomenon and author Marian Keyes
Find out what readers really think of Lauren Keenan's historical fiction debut The Space Between
Keen to start your language learning journey but don't know where to begin? Scotty Morrison's bestselling series is the resource you need!
From trad-romance to machine love, here's a rundown of some of our favourite romances, relationships and couplings in literature.