{"product_id":"the-secret-of-chanel-no-5-the-intimate-history-of-the-worlds-most-famous-perfume-isbn-9780061791017","title":"The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume","description":"\u003cp\u003e“Who knew that such a tiny bottle housed so many secrets?” —Michael Tonello, author of \u003cem\u003eBringing Home the Birkin\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTilar J. Mazzeo, author of the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestseller \u003cem\u003eThe Widow Clicquot\u003c\/em\u003e (an Amazon Best of the Month book in October 2008) returns with a captivating history of the world’s most famous, seductive, and popular perfume: Chanel No. 5. Mazzeo’s sweeping story of the iconic scent (known as “le monstre” in the fragrance industry) stretches from Coco Chanel’s early success to the rise of the seminal fragrance during the 1950s to the confirmation of its bestseller status in today’s crowded perfume market.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Here is the life of one of the 20th century’s most interesting and deeply complicated women, a fascinating cultural history, and the story of an extraordinary perfume.” —Chandler Burr, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e scent critic and author of \u003cem\u003eThe Perfect Scent\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe unauthorized biography of the world's most famous, seductive, and successful perfume\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith its rich golden hue, art deco–inspired bottle, and timeless, musky scent, Chanel No. 5 is the world's bestselling perfume. Reverently known among industry insiders as le monstre—the monster—it is arguably the most coveted consumer luxury product of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Yet how did this pioneering celebrity fragrance, introduced in the early 1920s, eventually take on a life of its own, becoming a cultural monument celebrated by millions of devoted consumers? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Secret of Chanel No. 5\u003c\/em\u003e is Tilar J. Mazzeo's far-ranging and fascinating search beyond the stuff of legend to uncover the full story of No. 5's creation, iconic status, and extraordinary success. Mazzeo goes back through time and deep into the life of Coco Chanel, the brilliant, controversial, and steel-willed businesswoman at the heart of the fragrance. She takes readers to the rose plantations and celebrated jasmine fields where the perfume begins and then to the laboratories and boardrooms where scent and sex are forever intertwined. And she travels to the heart of the Chanel empire: 31 Rue Cambon, Coco Chanel's flagship boutique, where six decades ago American GIs stormed the counters to possess the magical elixir that captured the luxury and romance of Paris for their girls back home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA blend of evocative history and thoughtful research, here is a glittering account of where art and sensuality mingle with dazzling entrepreneurship and desire: Chanel No. 5.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“If you like champagne, “The Widow Clicquot” by Tilar J. Mazzeo is definitely worth a drink.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLisa Ko, author of The Leavers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Tilar J. Mazzeo’s informed and enlightening biography of Madame Clicquot, the widow and, more important, the businesswoman, retrieves her vintage story as if looking for a rare bottle in one of the Champagne region’s deepest caves.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A miraculous feat of organization, one worthy of a doctoral thesis…. [I]n its moments of action, this is actually a gripping story. And while the book appears to be a feminist history\/business biography, it’s also the appealing story of the author’s odyssey.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAustin Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The Widow Clicquot, Tilar J. Mazzeo’s sweeping oenobiography of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, is the story of a woman who was a smashing success long before anyone conceptualized the glass ceiling.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[In] the skilled hands of cultural historian Mazzeo, [the perfume] becomes a magnificent window through which to understand [Coco Chanel] and her milieu... Impeccable research and crafting make a seemingly narrow topic feel infinitely important.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Mazzeo’s lush prose...never bogs down in the details—despite the extensive research showcased in the bibliography—and a smooth pacing keeps it moving along at a fast clip. This work is definitely recommended to lovers of 20th-century cultural history, Coco Chanel, and, of course, the world’s best-selling perfume.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Engaging.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Mazzeo] explores interconnections between designer and perfume, teasing out the relationship with delicacy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Told in a light and graceful style that is just right for its subject…. [I]t’s a fascinating trip, made even more so by Ms. Mazzeo’s charming cameo appearances as a kind of tour guide…. This example of Barbe-Nicole’s voice is exceptional…an intoxicating business biography.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJulia Flynn Siler, Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An enticing stew of biography and history.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Mazzeo has written an account of the rarest of things-an international olfactory icon-that fairly rushes off the pages. Here is the life of one of the 20th century’s most interesting and deeply complicated women, a fascinating cultural history, and the story of an extraordinary perfume.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChandler Burr, New York Times scent critic and author of The Perfect Scent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The true brilliance of \u003cem\u003eThe Secret of Chanel No. 5\u003c\/em\u003e is Tilar Mazzeo’s ability to take a subject one would never have thought possible to think very deeply about and then cover it so captivatingly. Who knew that such a tiny bottle housed so many secrets?” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMichael Tonello, author of Bringing Home the Birkin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This is one case where historical fact eclipses the legend and lore of the object itself—there’s much, much more than meets the nose to discover in these pages.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Anyone who’s ever dawdled in front of a perfume counter will love Tilar Mazzeo’s fascinating history of the perfume known simply as No. 5; her rich and witty account is as compelling as the fragrance itself. ” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKaren Karbo, author of The Gospel According to Coco Chanel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889176342757,"sku":"NP9780061791017","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780061791017.jpg?v=1730230686","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-secret-of-chanel-no-5-the-intimate-history-of-the-worlds-most-famous-perfume-isbn-9780061791017","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}