Kevin's Watch

at Half Price books in Pearland they have had a book in the collectible/old/rare section.

the Science and Art of Perfumery by Edward Sagarin

copyright 1945 - signed by the author with a dedication to a friend...

To Manuel -
may this book be
the beginning of a
firm friendship.

Ed Sagarin
Christmas 1950

it has sat on the shelf some three years at a price too high to pay. we have asked them to discount the book because no one was buying it. finally while i was at work julie found someone who did discount it. from $45.00 to $25.00 (hardcover)

i was very surprised when Julie presented to me after work. i found it on ebay and found some articles about the book - one is here...

www.nstperfume.com/2006/01/13/perfume-b ... d-sagarin/

awesome find!!!

according to Wiki he was seen as a 'hunchback deviant'

Stonemaybe wrote:according to Wiki he was seen as a 'hunchback deviant'

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Sagarin

wow, i had no idea. quite a shock...

I have never had a good nose, not for perfume nor most other scents. I wonder if it relates to my fairly unemotional personality, as the lymbic system, tied to long term memory and emotion, is supposedly tied to the scent glands.

Seems like an interesting book, and the dedication is interesting. A dedication to a friend already, did he have some reason to believe the friendship was not firm?

Holsety wrote: did he have some reason to believe the friendship was not firm?

I think he wanted more than the friendship to be firm. What a cheeky dedication.

I think there might be a market for that book, Sarge, if you want to make a profit.

Stonemaybe wrote:I think there might be a market for that book, Sarge, if you want to make a profit.

but i have wanted it for collection for so long. i love odd little books like this. it honestly makes me sad that someone put so much effort into writing it and it sat for some three years, alone and unloved.

if i could our house would be stuffed full of odd little tomes.

i have already started reading it - well written and i love learning new things.

Ananda - both julie and i noted the odd dedication. and our minds traveled along that direction.

i think i shall start hilighting some of my books if anyone is interested...

I would love that. My dream room is lined with bookshelves, floor to ceiling, and all the books I've ever wanted in them; with tall windows with windowseats, and a fireplace. And a music stand and a guitar collection. And an easel with paints... but I digress.

The dedication is intriguing, in a creepy way. Got any more like that?

deer of the dawn wrote:The dedication is intriguing, in a creepy way.

I don't know, I think it was kind of romantic and cute. In a time where simple love was outlawed and shunned, it was an unspoken declaration of that love without quite saying it. Plus, it was rather overt in its innuendo which makes it amusingly cheeky. For some reason, it made me think of Morrisey's Alsatian cousin.

Oh, and I misread your dream room description at first and thought it said a weasel instead of an easel. I had a totally different image for a moment. A painting weasel! I wanted one.

I read the Wiki article. That Sagarin guy was a mess!! His life would make a great tragicomic film. It would have to be noir, of course.

painting weasels would be AWESOME!

when finding someone like Sagarin I wonder how many other fascinating people exist that I have no conception of.

Said book, but our copy does not have a dust cover.

metaposter alert!!!