Review: Common and Uncommon Scents by Susan Stewart

One of the perks of being published by Amberley Publishing is that they occasionally send me review copies of new books on their list.

So it was that I recently came to be reading Common and uncommon Scents: A Social History of Perfume by Susan Stewart.

Everything about this book is sumptuous, not least the cover. It has clearly been well researched but is so easy to read; more, it's a joy to read.

The author takes us from the ancient world right through to the 21st century, and leaves out no aspect of perfume and scent history. There is evidence from a cuneiform tablet from 1239BC, of a perfume maker. What is remarkable is that not only are we told the name of this perfume maker, we know that she was female. In a temple dedicated to the Egyptian god, Horus, there is a perfume formula written on the wall, and it gives the exact quantities for the the ingredients required to make the perfume.  We are told that Ovid was an admirer of perfume and cosmetics, but that Cicero considered perfume an unnecessary extravagance.

Moving into the medieval period, we discover that Zoe, who ruled the Byzantine Empire in the 11th century converted part of her palace into a perfume workshop. Not much surprise, I suppose, that her interest in lotions and potions led to accusations of poison...

There is a great deal of information about distillation techniques, aromatics generally, and Hildegard of Bingen advocated the use of aromatic vapour baths. There is information too about scenting the home, including the floor rushes, and fragrancing food and drink. We also learn how the pomander became popular as a fad.

During the Renaissance, the famous glass blowers of Murano made brightly coloured bottles for the perfume made by the master perfume makers of Venice.

Come the 17th century, perfume played a part in the treatment and prevention of plague. This, like so many sections of the book, contains many original recipes for scents. Apparently Louis XIV's court was known as The Perfumed Court, such was his love of scent - he even had scented fountains - and by the 18th century perfume sales increased through the power of advertising. Of course the elaborate wigs of this era were perfumed and this was the era of the first perfume houses.

It had not occurred to me but it was, apparently, only in the 19th century that perfumes began to be known by devised names, rather than 'lavender water' etc. One of the earliest was called 'Stolen Kisses'!

The book ends with look at how perfume brands really took off in the 20th century and reminds us of some of the famous 'taglines' and there's a brief mention of the 21st century where, of course, scent is really all around, from perfumes to aromatherapy roll-ons to room diffusers.

That's a brief round-up of some of the highlights for me, but I said at the beginning of this review that the book is a joy to read and one of the joys was that every aspect of scent - its manufacture and its uses - is explored: beliefs about health benefits, societal connotations, fragrance in clothing - gloves, wigs, dresses - and around the home. Also covered in great detail is the history of the growing of the plants which went (and still go) into perfume manufacture, and how these were traded.

For all that, this is a very light and accessible read. The author has clearly researched every aspect of perfume and scent, but the result of that research is a book which is fascinating for the general reader. Highly recommended.

Available in hardback from all good bookshops and from Amazon

Helen Hollick's Pirate Character Sails in for a Chat

Today I am delighted to turn the blog over to international best-selling author Helen Hollick, whose brilliant and very fertile imagination has produced a conversation between her 18th-century pirate, Jesamiah Acorne (star of the Sea Witch Voyages) and my 10th-century Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, the main character in To Be A Queen.

Take it away Helen...

A TURN OF TIME?

By Helen Hollick

A fanciful tale of a meeting between two people of the 10th and 18th centuries... 

“Hello lass, you all right sitting there on y’tod?”

The young woman looks up from where she’s sitting on a damp rock beside the river . She squints into the glare of the low, autumn sunshine. She looks at the stranger, but can only see his outline, not his face, as the sun is behind him. The sun casts a glowing aura around him, making him seem quite ethereal.

“Yes I’m fine, thank you sir. Just sitting here thinking.”

The man moves, sits down on another rock. The illusion of other-worldliness has vanished now. He sniffs, tips his hat back. She thinks that he is dressed rather strangely, a long coat, long leather boots and close-fitting trousers that are of a material she has never seen before. His hat is strange too, it is leather, triangular. He has a froth of lace at his neck and wrists. Even the sword he is wearing is most odd, it is long and slightly curved. He has another thing tucked through his belt, it looks like some sort of club with a bent handle.

“What is that?” she asks, curious, pointing to it.

“My pistol. Very dangerous.”

She shrugs. She has never heard the word before. “Are you a foreigner?” she asks, suspiciously. “A Viking from Denmark or Norway? You are certainly not a Mercian.”

The man shakes his head, smiles. “I was born in Devonshire, but I come from Virginia.”

“Devonshire is part of my father’s Wessex. I have never heard of Virginia. Is it across the sea?”

“It is. And I suppose I’m a Viking of sorts. I used to be a pirate but I took the King’s amnesty.”

“Amnesty? My father, King Alfred, does not give our enemies amnesty.”

“Alfred? No this was King George.”

The girl frowns. She has never heard of this ‘George’. “My husband is the Lord of Mercia. His name is Æthelred.”

“Ah, The Unready? I’ve heard of him!”

The girl’s frown deepens. “Unready? My husband is never unready. He is a very capable lord.”

The man also frowns but lets the matter go. “Forgive me for saying, but you look far too young to be a married woman. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“I am Æthelflæd, Lady of Mercia and it is impertinent for someone who is not my close kindred to call me by such an endearment.”

“I know a ship called the Lady Of Mercia. A fine brig. Her captain’s a good man. Brought my wife to England from Spain. Ended up in a bit of trouble, but we sorted it out in the end.”

The young woman stares at her hands, gazing at the jewelled rings she wears, twiddling one that was a little loose, around and around. “I am in trouble too. We need to hold the Viking sea wolves back. They are at anchor in the estuary. If they sail up this river, they will overrun us, and we would not be able to hold them.” She points at the calm, lazy flow drifting beneath the overhanging trees, the low sun sparkles on the little waves and eddies being stirred by a come-and-gone flurry of wind.

The man also stares at the river. “Good sailors are they, these Vikings? Know how to handle a ship?”

She laughs, ironically. “Oh yes, they have ships with shallow draughts, and they handle them with great skill. They are, I am reluctant to say it, but they are brave, capable men who fight well. If they land here, we will stand no chance of survival against them.”

The man sniffs again, stands and walks to the water’s edge where he squats down and dabbles his right hand into the cool, clear water. He can see the bottom quite clearly. “I’d not get my ship up here. It’s too shallow.”

“You have a ship?” 

“Aye. She’s called Sea Witch.”

“But she is not a Viking, dragon ship?”

He stands, turns, smiles at her. “No. She’s neither of those. Could you defeat these Vikings if you stopped them from coming up river?”

Her turn to smile. “Oh yes, we have warriors every bit as brave and formidable as the invaders. But we do not have ships, and we will not be able to stop them from sailing up river if they decide to do so.”

The man walks a pace or two towards her. “You only need to think a little differently. Use what you have on land. Those trees – slice the branches so that they form spikes then cut them down so that they form a barrier across the water. Set thick, strong ropes from bank to bank – ropes that are submerged so that they will not see them, and their steering boards, that are lower in the water, get snarled. Use flame arrows dipped in tar. No sailor will confront the prospect of fire. Sink something else beneath the water; a broken cart with its shafts or wheel spokes sharpened. These Viking ships will not get far if you sink them, neither will the men aboard live long if you are ready for them. They will either drown, or try to come ashore. Either way, they will be dead men.”

Æthelflæd rises, walks to the edge of the water and stares into the gentle current, much as he had done. He was right. 

She swivels on her haunches, intending to ask his name and then thank him, but he is not there. The air shimmers where he had stood, and a faint, thin shadow hovers over the grass...

[Æthelflæd, known to her family in my novel as Teasel (the reason for which is misunderstood by her future husband!) was the daughter of Alfred the Great. Sent to Mercia to an arranged marriage, she quickly found herself trying to persuade those in her new homeland to accept her, then ruling a kingdom in all but name, trying to save Mercia from the 'Vikings' and, ultimately, her own brother.

"A vibrant telling of an extraordinary life." Praise for To Be A Queen from Terri Nixon, award-winning historical novelist]

THE VOYAGES

SEA WITCH   Voyage one

PIRATE CODE  Voyage two

BRING IT CLOSE  Voyage three

RIPPLES IN THE SAND  Voyage four

ON THE ACCOUNT  Voyage five

WHEN THE MERMAID SINGS  A prequel to the series

(short-read novella) 

And just published...

GALLOWS WAKE

The Sixth Voyage of Captain Jesamiah Acorne

By Helen Hollick

Where the Past haunts the future... 

Damage to her mast means Sea Witch has to be repaired, but the nearest shipyard is at Gibraltar. Unfortunately for Captain Jesamiah Acorne, several men he does not want to meet are also there, among them, Captain Edward Vernon of the Royal Navy, who would rather see Jesamiah hang.

Then there is the spy, Richie Tearle, and manipulative Ascham Doone who has dubious plans of his own. Plans that involve Jesamiah, who, beyond unravelling the puzzle of a dead person who may not be dead, has a priority concern regarding the wellbeing of his pregnant wife, the white witch, Tiola.

Forced to sail to England without Jesamiah, Tiola must keep herself and others close to her safe, but memories of the past, and the shadow of the gallows haunt her. Dreams disturb her, like a discordant lament at a wake. 

But is this the past calling, or the future?

From the first review of Gallows Wake:

“Hollick’s writing is crisp and clear, and her ear for dialogue and ability to reveal character in a few brief sentences is enviable. While several of the characters in Gallows Wake have returned from previous books, I felt no need to have read those books to understand them. The paranormal side of the story—Tiola is a white witch, with powers of precognition and more, and one of the characters is not quite human—blends with the story beautifully, handled so matter-of-factly. This is simply Jesamiah’s reality, and he accepts it, as does the reader.” 

Author Marian L. Thorpe.

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon Author Page (Universal link) https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Where you will find the entire series waiting at anchor in your nearest Amazon harbour – do come aboard and share Jesamiah’s derring-do nautical adventures!

(available Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and in paperback) 

Or order a paperback copy from your local bookstore!

ABOUT HELEN HOLLICK

First accepted for traditional publication in 1993, Helen became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she writes a nautical adventure/fantasy series, The Sea Witch Voyages. She is now also branching out into the quick read novella, 'Cosy Mystery' genre with her Jan Christopher Murder Mysteries, set in the 1970s, with the first in the series, A Mirror Murder incorporating her, often hilarious, memories of working as a library assistant.

Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She lives with her family in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in North Devon and occasionally gets time to write...

Website: www.helenhollick.net

Newsletter Subscription: http://tinyletter.com/HelenHollick 

Blog: www.ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HelenHollick 

Twitter: @HelenHollick https://twitter.com/HelenHollick