I've been looking forward to Rachel Herz' book for a long time. I found out about her work on the psychology of smell several years ago, and although I never got around to reading her academic work (published in reputable journals like the American Journal of Psychology and Chemical Senses), I did keep track of her frequent interviews in the popular media. The Scent of Desire is her first book, and tackles a wide range of questions on the relation between emotion and olfaction. From odor-emotional conditioning and olfactive memory to cultural differences in odor familiarity, Herz explains how odors influence our social relationships and mental health.
Smell is both a detector of danger, and a vehicle of desire. As the title suggests, The Scent of Desire is primarily focused on the latter. The author's basic premise is that emotional experience and the sense of smell are fundamentally interconnected…
I’m always interested in learning more about the personal background of a perfumer. Why did they choose their profession? What did it take to fulfill their ambition? 
On yesterday’s Diane Rehm show, guest host Susan Page talked to Rachel Herz, author of 
One of the most thoughtful and polemical writings on perfumery,