In this talk, Dr William Tullett guides us on a journey through the history of smell, complete with things for us to sniff! Across vast periods of time and around the globe, smell has been central to human life. From the incense burned in medieval religious rituals to the use of modern sniffer dogs, smells have been central to our sense of identity, our ability to build communities, and, perhaps less positively, to mark those deemed unwelcome within them. Our sense of smell brings us the pleasure of good food, wine, and perfume, but it also warns us of dangerous fire, gas, and rot. What did the past smell like? Why does our own world smell the way it does?
Dr Will Tullett is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of York, where his research focusses on smell and the past. Sniff is the latest of three books he has published on the topic. Outside his historical work he mainly spends his time running (for exercise, not from the law) or sofa bound under the weight of his cat and the spell of a good novel.
Presented by Elmbridge Borough Council in association with Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre
Bookselling partner: The Cobham Bookshop