I followed the links in the Independent’s article on Lagerfeld’s book perfume, and I ordered a sample of Hamman Bouquet by Penhaligon’s.
It smells nothing like a book. Or a library. It does smell Victorian, spicy rose and sandalwood. This is their description: “Animalic and golden, it is warm and mature, redolent of old books, powdered resins and ancient rooms. At its heart is dusky Turkish rose, with jasmine, woods, musk and powdery orris.” Not sure if “animalic” is a word or if “warm and mature” is code for “old lady,” but I like its heavy florals and woods.
I also ordered a sample of Paperback, and I’m not keen. It’s a bit cloying.
Christopher Brosius remains my book perfume love. Heaven scent.
I also followed the links and read about this perfume, and pondered ordering a sample but haven’t yet – I love rose in some contexts (rose-scented tea!) but am not sure about it in perfumes. Too bad about it not smelling book-y, though. But mm, Penhaligon’s in general is so swoon-worthy. My favorite at the moment is Quercus, which includes citrus and spice (bergamot and cardamom, yum) and patchouli but not too much patchouli.