"Here is a captivating book perfumed by elegant prose and infused on each page with fascinating observations about humanity's love of fragrance and our struggles to look good. We need more glitter in our study of antiquity!" -- Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Professor, Cardiff University, UK "This book is a veritable tour de force, captivating in the wide geographical expanse and historical depth it projects and in the myriad delightful details if offers. It shows that a history of aromatics, cosmetics and adornment in the ancient world is necessarily a global history; it assigns to Iran and its millennial succession of cultures the place it deserves in this history - at the centre." -- Wouter F.M. Henkelman, Associate Professor, École Pratique des Hautes Études, France "Here's the perfect bedside book: a page turner and a treasury of curious erudition. It features crisp, elegant prose, enviable narrative flair, an unfailing grip of the big picture, intellectual courage and meticulous science-based scholarship. The author unveils a staggeringly rich panorama of intercontinental cosmetic practice and innovation from prehistory to modern times.

" -- Robert Hillenbrand, Professor, The University of Edinburgh, UK.