Five things Amanda Hampson learned while researching for The French Perfumer.
- The term ‘perfume’ is derived from the Latin ‘fumum’ meaning ‘through smoke’. The fragrant smoke of burned materials was thought to be divine, sending prayers to heaven.
- Perfume was once a privilege of the rich and the cost of materials was irrelevant. From early last century, the decadent and rare raw materials began to be synthesised to make perfume cheaper and therefore more widely available.
- A kilo of the best quality French jasmine comprises five million blossoms and costs around $50,000 – that’s triple the price of gold.
- A perfumer (known as a ‘nose’) is an artist who ‘paints’ with layers of fragrance. It’s a long and involved process with many ‘drafts’ that are put away to be revisited and revised over the development period.
- Perfumers attempt to capture a moment or a feeling. Jacques Guerlain was inspired to create L’Heure Bleue (The Blue Hour) when walking by the Seine one evening. He set out to capture the sense of that twilight hour when ‘the night has not yet found its star’.
In the tradition of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a charming historical novel set in the South of France by the bestselling author of The Olive Sisters.
Revisit three Amanda Hampson books to experience European summer from the comfort of your living room.
Amanda Hampson recalls her personal journey through reading, journalism and writing fiction.
Penguin Random House (PRH) has been made aware of people impersonating our authors, including Richard Flanagan, and contacting members of the public by email or through social media.
Every great author must start their story somewhere.
Both audiobooks and paperback books offer different ways to experience a story, each with its own distinct benefits.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, a time to build greater awareness and understanding of dyslexia and the different ways people experience reading. Author R. A. Spratt shares some of the techniques she uses to make her books more accessible for dyslexic readers, along with practical reading and writing tips drawn from her own experience.
The Dashwood sisters return to the big screen in a new Sense and Sensibility adaptation starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles.
This is Jack and the Beanstalk like you’ve never seen it before! An exciting action-packed graphic adventure story set in the world of Jack in the Beanstalk. From award-winning author Sofie Laguna and monster-illustrator extraordinaire, Marc McBride.
Your unique spark determines which Fiercer will choose you, and which Gard you will belong to!