The Beauty in Old Books and Libraries Sampler - Set of Fourteen (14) 1/2ml Samples

If you are like me, the first thing you do is stick your nose into a book and sniff. There is just something about the scent of a book (old or new) that is fabulous. Matija Strlic, lead scientist of a study published in the journal Heritage Science, described the smell of an old book as: "A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness, this unmistakable smell is as much a part of the book as its contents." As a book ages, the chemical compounds used—the glue, the paper, the ink–begin to break down. For instance, as the cellulose in paper decomposes, it emits Furfural, which most people perceive as a sweet, almond-like fragrance. Lignin, present in the cell walls of trees (and therefore in all wood-based paper), emits Benzaldehyde and Vanillin, which impart a faint vanilla aroma. The decomposition of paper can produce such compounds as Toluene, which can smell sweet or pungent. Hexanal, also from the disintegration of cellulose and lignin in paper, can give books an earthy, musty, “old room” smell, which could be exacerbated by mold from environmental exposure. A common smell of old books, says the International League for Antiquarian Booksellers, is a hint of vanilla: “Lignin, which is present in all wood-based paper, is closely related to vanillin. As it breaks down, the lignin grants old books that faint vanilla scent.”

Some of these fragrances will transport you to old libraries. So many scents swirling around - first of all the old books (a combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness), new books (ink, paper, leather, glue), papers, leather, binding glue, wood shelving, paneling, flooring, tables, chairs, etc. Some words used to describe old libraries are: woody, smoky, earthy, musty, dusty, sweet and vanillic.  

She closed the book and put her cheek against it. There was still an odor of a library on it, of dust, leather, binding glue, and old paper, one book carrying the smell of hundreds. - Author: Shannon Hale 

There is something about libraries, old libraries, that makes them seem almost sacred. There's a smell of paper and must and binding stuff. It's like all the books are fighting against decay, against turning into dust, and at the same time fighting for attention. - Author: Carrie Jones

These fragrances will give you a great opportunity to try a variety of "Old Book and Old Library" smelling fragrances. 

You will receive a 1/2ml sample (1ml sample vial filled half full) of each of the fragrances in this sampler. 

1. Black Baccara Antique Books Perfume Oil - This perfume smells exactly like antique books. Highlights include old paper pages, aged suede, leather, subtle woods and lignin. This evocative blend is designed to whisk you away to the comforting nostalgia of an antiquarian library. It unfolds with the cozy and familiar aroma of aged paper pages, unfurling a harmonious blend of nuanced woods, leather and suede on the drydown. The final notes settle into a warm, cozy combination of aged paper and leather, creating a cozy ambiance perfect for curling up with a cup of tea and indulging in daydreams of being in the enchanting world of an antique library.
   
2. Alpha Musk Leather Bound Book Perfume Oil - Based on a paper note put together using a series of balsams, primarily tolu balsam, gurjan balsam with a touch of benzoin, a dry sandalwood, and pepper. Add a realistic leather with a softer dry suede note along with thyme, olibanum and a dash of amber resin. There’s hidden nuances of rose, saffron honey and beeswax. 
3. Belladonna’s Botanical Occult Library EDP – The scent of dusty tomes, grimoires, cobwebs and remnants of things past. With notes of old books, leather, scotch whiskey, amber, cedarwood and Palo Santo.
4. Nui Cobalt Bibliomancy Perfume Oil - The art of divination with books. Select a volume at random from the shelf. Turn the pages until intuition tells you to stop. The words on the page are the answer to your question. The vanillic scent of brittle pages, well-worn leather bindings, dried lavender and forget-me-not blossoms pressed beneath translucent vellum, Peru balsam, Omani frankincense and oud.
5. Alkemia Book of Shadows Perfume Oil - With notes of parchment paper, antique ink, leather bindings and rare incenses.
6. Arcana Wildcraft Haunted Forest EDP - A dark academia atmospheric with coniferous notes. A journey in olfactory form, this is the essence of discovering a darkly magical grimoire in a forest of coniferous trees. You enter the Great Forest on a sunny day, but the trees are so tall and dense that you're plunged into near-twilight. Initially your nose encounters a blast of cool, crisp fir balsam and black spruce needles. As you walk further, downed trees covered in moss greet you. A tiny creature beckons from behind a fallen log, indicating a particular patch and insisting, "Here!" He disappears and you search, only to discover an ancient book of spells moldering under the dead leaves. The odor of the book hits your nose: vanilla, parchment paper, and mildew. You open its crumbling pages, eager to read, and... what's this? The unmistakable scent of enchanted ink.  
7. The Little Book Eater Old Books Perfume Oil - The only thing better than new books is - old books! With the layered fragrances of spicy ginger snap, warm walnut cream, and rich, sweet maple sugar. You will feel like you are in a classic library, flipping through the pages of ancient tomes.
8. Nui Cobalt Bibliophilia: Love of Books Perfume Oil - The vanillic scent of aging paper, the tang of fresh ink, venerable bookshelves of oak and mahogany, a sweet trace of pipe tobacco and an undercurrent of faded leather. 
9. Eldritch Whispers Ex Altiora EDP - Crack open a strange leather bound book full of woodcuts detailing a starless sky and the encroaching dread of a village. The smell of its old pages and ozone is sure to have heads spinning with vertigo. Inspired by The Magnus Archives. A dreadful blend of ozone, old paper and worn leather.
10. Freyja's Daughters A Midnight Dreary Perfume Oil - Like falling asleep with your face in a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. It has notes of suede, leather and wood. It smells like antique books and mystery.
11. White Owl Perfumery Poetic Treehouse Perfume Oil - Poetic Treehouse features notes of library, leather books, musty attic, cedar, leaf accord, hot wax, and metal. This scent is based off a treehouse library high up in an oak tree with bookshelves made from dark mahogany wood, housing hundreds of old musty leather bound editions of books and poetry, cedar floors, soft hot wax for sealing letters, green leaves being blown by a soft wind on a summer day, resinous amyris, sandalwood accord, and dark patchouli. You may even detect some vinyl, green leafy aldehyde and a hint of metal. This is not a gourmand library scent or even a woody scent. It’s like scent after scent, coming together to make poetry, with pure artisanal note layers of fragrance and aroma molecules combined. Dark mahogany, shelves and shelves of hundreds of old musty leather bound books sitting on floors made of old cedar. High up in the treehouse of an old oak tree is a huge attic library filled with books. Every floor has an abundance of books to read. Friends are reading and hanging out on the branches reading. There is never a shortage of musty old leather bound books. There are novels, fiction, classics, books of poetry. While one is reading, a soft breeze blows and the scent of the leaves waft across the air. 
12. Calyx Ancient Library of Alexandria Perfume Oil - In the heart of the ancient Library of Alexandria, the air held secrets of ages past, each telling a different tale of history. Upon entering, the first olfactory embrace came from the many shelves, their warm, woody aroma a testament to centuries of care and preservation. This scent intertwined with the subtle mustiness of aged papyrus and the sweet, lingering essence of ink that had been absorbed into the fibers of countless scrolls. On particularly warm days, the aroma of sun-warmed stone from the grand pillars and walls became more pronounced, adding an earthy dimension to the aromatic tapestry. The uplifting fragrance of lotus blossoms and herbs wafted gently through the arches, carried on a fresh Mediterranean breeze. With notes of aged papyrus, carbon black ink, fragrant lotus, baked earth and warm marble, subtle hints of smoke and spice. This is a sweet, earthy, dry, woody, floral, slightly smoky and spicy fragrance.
13. The Little Book Eater Rolls of Parchment Perfume Oil - Inspired by the historical writing medium used by writers. Made with the scents of spicy peppercorn, sweet vanilla, warm nutmeg, and tonka bean. Reminiscent of medieval monasteries and the rare manuscripts section of modern libraries. An antique, spicy/sweet blend of peppercorn, vanilla, nutmeg and tonka bean.
14. Calyx Fragrance Library Perfume Oil - "If peace had a smell, it would be the smell of a library full of old, leather-bound books." - Mark Pryor. Bring the Library home and breathe in the warm scents of old leather bindings, foxed pages, and dusty wooden shelves - the smell of peace. A warm, woody, leathery and dusty fragrance.
15. Calyx Fragrance The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal Perfume Oil - A dark, woody, smoky, earthy and sweet fragrance. Welcome to Nineveh, the sprawling capital of Assyria and largest city in the world. The year is 650 BCE, and King Ashurbanipal has been assembling the greatest collection of written texts for his royal library. Housing over 10,000 clay and wax tablets on science, poetry, business, medicine, religion, and mathematics, this is one of the first organized libraries in the world. The swollen Tigris River flows by, feeding the city's canals and aqueducts, providing water to the palace's breathtaking tiered gardens. Fragrant juniper, cypress, and rosewood trees scent the warm breeze, blending with incense smoke from the nearby temple. As you pass through the royal library's arch, the rich aroma of dried clay fills your senses. With notes of cypress, juniper, rosewood and incense, with hints of clay, wax, exotic flowers and wisdom.