Fragrances of the World is the largest independent guide to fragrance classification. First published in 1984 by Michael Edwards in Sydney, Australia, the guide was originally named The Fragrance Manual before becoming Fragrances of the World in 2000. It has since been printed annually in a bilingual English-French edition. An online companion, the Fragrances of the World database, was launched in 2004 and, as of 2015, profiles over 17,000 perfumes, updated weekly. Fragrances of the World is considered a standard encyclopedic reference within the fragrance industry, colloquially termed the “Fragrance Bible” (a registered trademark since 2011). Entries Some 8,000 perfumes were profiled in the 2015 printed edition of Fragrances of the World, accompanied by brand name, date, fragrance family and gender. The online database, updated weekly, archives profiles of over 17,000 perfumes, listing brand name, corporate group, creative director, gender, perfumer, date, country of origin, bottle designer, fragrance family, an image, an olfactory pyramid and a pronunciation guide. The Fragrances of the World database attempts to list all perfumes currently on the market, anywhere in the world. Each listing's profile is written by the guide's editorial team, who evaluate the perfume in collaboration with the fragrance's perfumer and house evaluator. If a mass-market perfume is discontinued, it remains listed in the guide for another two years, excluding fragrances deemed to be of outstanding influence, which are therefore maintained. Over 3,000 discontinued perfumes considered to be of exceptional popularity or historical importance have also been added to the listing. The guide is independently published by Fragrances of the World, funded by individual subscriptions. In the interest of neutrality, the guide contains no advertising and listings are made free of charge. However, the fragrances houses are not systematically consulted, and the content is often invented. History Print edition In 1984, Michael Edwards, having left Halston as international marketing director, was aware of the need for a guide to help retailers suggest perfumes to consumers. Though Edwards had previously tried to re-establish Firmenich’s defunct classification Bouquet de la Parfumerie, the leading manual remained Haarmann & Reimer’s Guide to Fragrance Ingredients, an essentially technical genealogy unsuited to retail. That year in Sydney, Edwards independently published The Fragrance Manual, the first retailer’s guide to fragrance classification, profiling three hundred perfumes. The manual proved a success, going through several editions, and was expanded at the request of Nordstrom, first to include American fragrances, followed by men’s