Each year Americans spend billions of dollars on their noses. From sinus remedies to cosmetic surgery, aromatherapy to Chanel no. 5, we are a nation immersed in all things nasal. But how did this one vital organ become an object of beauty, a status symbol, the basis for judging character? Why do we follow our noses when seeking a mate -- or choosing a president? Here is a fascinating tour of the nose through history & biology, art & culture, sex & sensibility, sickness & health. Here are engaging anecdotes & personal interviews with physicians & their patients; FDA members & the Fragrance Fdn.; a rabbi who contemplates the nose in Jewish texts; & a plastic surgeon who puts his own nose under the knife.