The Book of Perfumes by Rimmel, Eugene - 1865

London: Chapman and Hall 1865. 8vo. xx, 266 pp. Beautifully bound by Bone and Son in very pretty gilt-stamped green cloth, with a lot of delicate floral block prints, all edges gilt, with a rather lovely crest depicting a censer and other smell-disseminating equipments, the motto to which is 'Non cuique datum est habere nasum', meaning 'it isn't given to everybody to have a nose', which is rather splendid. Front inner hinge partially split and some detachment along top half of prelims. Some bumping to extremities. Occasional spotting to the text. Contains about 170 illustrations, including 13 plates, one in colour. All plates present. This is a very attractive book. The author, Eugene Rimmel (1820-1887), was a French perfumer and businessman responsible for manufacturing and marketing some of the earliest commercially made cosmetics. He joined his father's perfumery business in London's Bond Street in 1834 and founded House of Rimmel. They went on to produce their first cosmetic products the same year. He and his father introduced the first commercial non-toxic mascara product. It became so popular that rimmel is to this day the word for mascara in several languages including French and Italian. . Near Fine. Decorative Cloth. First Edition. 1865.