THE ARTIFICIAL WORLD AROUND US

Here is no false diamond. While the book does not intend to prove that this is an ersatz world, its coverage of present and future developments in synthetic smells, flavors and materials is so thorough that after reading it even the ""genuine"" article will be given a beady-eyed surmise. That ""new"" smell in a car is there thanks to a chemist. ""Maple"" syrup is manufactured from the unsweetly named seed, fenugreek. The numerous plastic and chemical fiber materials almost defy detection. This is the best written disillusionment to come along in an imitation vicuna's age. The book ends with a thought-provoking chapter chillingly titled, ""Our Synthetic Future"".