Fran?ois Coty

Book excerpt: "If anyone wants to understand the fate of France in the 20th century, this is the book to read." --Arthur Herman, historian and bestselling author of How the Scots Invented the Modern World. In 1906, Fran�ois Coty became a multimillionaire within two years of creating his first perfume, the legendary La Rose Jacqueminot. In the 30 years he ruled his perfume and cosmetics kingdom, Coty became France's first billionaire, acquiring unimaginable wealth during the most devastating war in the history of Europe, World War I. Born in Corsica next door to the home where his idol and distant relative Napoleon Bonaparte was born, Coty, with his unshakable charisma, ingenuity, and of course, his incredibly sensitive "nose," revolutionized the world's fragrance and cosmetics industry. Now, for the first time, comes this stunning biography of France's fragrance king, the incredible story of the ambitions, loves, losses, and triumphs of one of the 20th century's most famed yet enigmatic entrepreneurial geniuses.