The Secret of Chanel No. 5

Every minute, someone buys a bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume. Andy Warhol created a silk-screened image of the art deco bottle; Mitch Ryder’s “Devil in a Blue Dress” famously wore it, and when Marilyn Monroe was asked what she wore to bed, she replied, “Why, Chanel No. 5 of course.” Some of the most glamorous actresses in the world, including Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman, and Audrey Tautou, have been its official face.

Blending personal narrative with in-depth research, Tilar J. Mazzeo explores the legend of this iconic perfume and the secret behind its extraordinary success. Is it the jasmine fields that line the back roads of the south of France, or the delicate roses of Grasse? Or is it simply brilliant marketing that makes Chanel No. 5 so universally popular? The Secret of Chanel No. 5 is a fascinating exploration of the history of Chanel, of perfume, and of society’s relationship to luxury and sensual pleasure.

Tilar J. Mazzeo is a cultural historian and biographer and a passionate student of wine, food, and French culture. She divides her time between the California wine country in Sonoma County and Maine, where she is an assistant professor of English at Colby College. She is the author of the New York Times best-seller The Widow Clicquot, as well as nearly two dozen books, articles, essays, and reviews about women, travel, and history.

“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, New York Times scent critic and author of The Perfect Scent