Paper Passion: Now You Too Can Smell Like a New Book

The smell of a freshly printed book is the best perfume in the world. – Karl Lagerfeld

I think that to be able to wear the smell of a book is something very chic. Books are players in the intellectual world, but also in the world of luxury. – Gerhard Steidl

It should come as no surprise that Lagerfeld first mentioned the idea of a book scent to German publisher Gerhard Steidl.

Karl Lagerfeld should know about such things. His library is world renowned and contains hundreds of thousands of books. That’s right, hundreds of thousands of books!

Wallpaper* Magazine then commissioned master perfumer Geza Schoen to create a fragrance based on the smell of books to be part of its Handmade exhibition in Milan and Paper Passion was born.

The packaging concept is accompanied by text from Karl Lagerfeld, Günter Grass, Geza Schoen, and Tony Chambers.

Steidl says that this is an opportunity to celebrate all the glorious sensuality of books. “My idea was that it should bring you down, like when you read a book, to a level of meditation and concentration,” says a satisfied Steidl.

Paper Passion is available from Steidl and retails for $115

And for you dedicated digital readers, the folks at io9 recommend you Spritz this perfume on your e-reader to make it smell like a paper book