A second edition of Poucher’s famous work, these volumes give brilliant insight into what perfumery was like in 1926. Boy, did people smell good back then. The great thing about these books is that, while not eschewing synthetics, they give many ideas how to use naturals with each other and with synthetics. The first volume is a dictionary of ingredients. It describes many naturals and synthetics, nuances between similar compounds, and how these compounds are used. In the second volume, there’s a section on fixation, monographs about perfumes made from the more famous flowers. There are many recipes for classic florals. I don’t have any other books that do this so well. In later editions of Poucher, much of this material is left out. The books themselves are well tattered. In one volume, the spine is starting to peel back near the top. On the other, the spine has a small tear where the book was pulled. The pages are browning, but the paper seems good and nothing’s falling apart—no pages torn or loose or anything like that. I guess I’d give the book a fair rating. While a pristine copy would have been nice, I’ve gotten so much value from these books that I’ve hardly noticed their condition. If you want more pictures, with details of the books’ wounds, let me know and I’ll take a few shots with my phone.