{"product_id":"9781399803250","title":"Elixir : A Story of Perfume, Science and the Search for the Secret of Life by Theresa Levitt","description":"A FINANCIAL TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEARA STRONG WORDS TOP 50 BOOKS OF THE YEAR'Dizzying and fragrant . . . truly a captivating achievement!' Aimee Nezhukumatathil'If you read this book you will be changed . . .  this book feels like an actual elixir' Kiese Laymon'A fascinating tale of discovery, wonder, and revolution' Matthew StanleyTwo friends in a Parisian perfume shop make a discovery that will transform our   understanding of the world and the origins of life on Earth forever.   Set amidst the unforgettable sights and smells of 18th and   19th Century Paris, Elixir tells the story of   Edouard Laugier and Auguste Laurent, the son of a perfumer and a fellow   aspiring chemist, who met on the Left Bank while pursuing their passion for   science. Spurned by the scientific establishment, the pair ended up working out   of Edouard's family perfume shop, Laugier p?re et fils. By   day they prepared the revitalizing elixirs and rejuvenating eaux it was   famous for, but by night using the ingredients of the perfumery and the   principles of alchemy, they pursued the secret of life itself.   Elixir reads like a novel, brimming with eccentric characters,   experimental daring, and the romance of the Bohemian salon. It is the story   of a long-standing scientific puzzle and the struggle to gain acceptance for   a new way of thinking about the building blocks of living matter long after   those who discovered it were both dead. Yet this is also a story of hope   and determination. For while the scientific establishment ridiculed their   work at the time, teenage lab assistant Louis Pasteur took it seriously and   over the course of an exceptional career, was able to show that their work   pointed to a deep, inexplicable asymmetry in the molecular arrangement of   living things - an unexplained asymmetry which remains one of science's great   mysteries.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312276812149,"sku":"9781399803250","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399803250.jpg?v=1762821316","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9781399803250","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}