The Book of Perfumes by Eugene Rimmel first edition 1865 with a card

London: Chapman & Hall (1865)
 
8vo; in the highly decorative publisher’s boards, displaying a lined & ruled border with Rimmel’s coat of arms in the centre of the front board, gilt stained edges that seem to have been applied to the end papers too, with lettering and decorations also on the spine, with a blind stamped motif on the lower board; pp. xxii, 266; the boards and gilt work is faded in placed and the corners have been gently pushed, the spine is faded a shade, there is some foxing to the preliminary pages, there are four pages of the contents of illustrations that are uncut; overall though a smart very good copy. 
 
[with]
 
A miniature advertisement card measuring 9cm to 7cm in colour dating to c1860, advertising Eugene Rimmel’s celebrated perfumery in Paris. It is a wonderful original card, that lists his stock: toilet soaps, lotions for the skin, for the teeth, for the hair and sundries ‘for valentines’. The card claims that its products are sold by all perfumery vendors. There is a confusing scene on the back of conquistadors fighting with a native tribe, perhaps a nod to the fact he had at that time a royal warrant with Spain and Portugal for his wears.
 
First edition of the pioneering French British entrepreneur’s classic ‘book of Perfumes’. It is profusely illustrated including one plate in colour. Rimmel explains extensively the history of perfume, the process and materials used. He was a wildly successful businessman across Europe and at the time this book was published he held stores in London and Paris, selling scented pomades, mouth rinses and his signature “Toilet Vinegar”. He was the first to commercialise mascara, which became so popular that his surname is still used to this day instead of mascara in several languages around the world. This first edition is rare, with it not appearing in commerce too often in the original cloth, and especially so with its added, contemporary advertisement card.