ENTERTAINMENT

Everybody smells, but some people smell better than others.

I've never met psychologist Avery Gilbert. But after reading his new book, What the Nose Knows: The Science of Scent in Everyday Life, I'm sure he smells a lot better than I do in both senses of the word.

That's because Mr. Gilbert smells for a living. He is both an expert in the science of human olfaction and an entrepreneur at the forefront of commercial innovation in the fragrance industry.

Mr. Gilbert is also a student of history, culture and literature. The book links past events, human interactions and literary works with aromas, fragrances, scents, smells, odors, stinks and stenches. With connections to literary giants from Emily Dickinson to Salman Rushdie; cinematic pioneers such as Mike Todd and John Waters; and cultural icons such as Helen Keller and Andy Warhol, the book has touchstones to suit almost any reader's taste.

It opens with the challenge of classifying odors and measuring their strength. It draws readers in with wines, flowers and perfumes, which "occupy the sunny heights of the smellscape." But then the author lowers the boom.

"Beyond lies the Dark Side, a swampland reeking of burnt rubber, rotten eggs, and the silent but deadly guy on the No. 33 bus. Few people aspire to study stench – there are no maestros of malodor. And yet, if we are truly to understand the sense of smell, we must account for the whole of it ... ."

And account for the whole he does, especially in the book's most potent chapter, "The Malevolence of Malodor." There he examines the syndrome known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance. The verdict: The symptoms are real but psychosomatic. "The psychogenic hypothesis doesn't sit well with some IEI patients ... [T]hey resent any suggestion that ... implies their suffering isn't real. The good news for them, if they will only hear it, is that the psychogenic hypothesis points to a treatment."

That chapter also includes a section called "I Smell Dead People." Those with a distaste for dark humor are advised to skip ahead to the chapter about Hollywood's brief venture into Smell-O-Vision and AromaRama.

The book closes with a highly speculative look into "Our Olfactory Destiny," including the selective modification of human nasal perception. Some readers might be put off by Mr. Gilbert's suggestion of having a canine sense of smell. But it makes "scents" that someone with his highly trained nose would want to be first in line to try it.

Fred Bortz (www.fredbortz.com), an author of 17 science books for young readers, has been sniffing out good nonfiction to review since 1997.

The Science of Scent in Everyday Life

Avery Gilbert

(Crown, $23.95)