This book by Chandler Burr is about the development of the vibrational theory of smell perception by Luca Turin. It is written for people with limited scientific knowledge.
I liked the book, but it would have been better if it had been totally chronological. The back and forth in time got a little confusing at times. Also, the science got a little too watered down in parts making it actually hard to understand if you do have a science background.
The perfume discussions were very interesting and was the insider industry information. Many will be suprised by the gross amount of pettiness in the scientific community (both academic and in industry) shown in this book; I tend to believe it based on what I saw in grad school and other places since. There is none of the idealism and cooperation many would expect to see. It is more about maintaining prestige than about finding truth. So much for ivory towers.
A good read overall. I look forward to reading the more scientific book on this subject actually written by Turin. Will let you know about it when I get to it.
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