Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor...
— Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven"
The home fragrance company Paddywax recently launched its Library Collection, a suite of five scents inspired by authors. Needless to say, I couldn't resist the idea of these literary-olfactory tributes, so I ordered a few. The Edgar Allan Poe candle was ostensibly a gift for my husband, who is a longtime Poe admirer. However, he's really not all that interested in fragrance (despite my best efforts), so I've been the one basking in its glow and its scent, not to mention its clever packaging (labels that look like bookplates, and a travel tin, shown below, that could be used to hold small desk items when the candle is gone).
Paddywax's Edgar Allan Poe fragrance is a blend of "cardamom, absynthe, and sandalwood," and it turns out to be a warm, sweetish, spicy-woody scent that suits a late-autumn evening in a darkening room. I can't really detect an absinthe note — shouldn't it be sharp and greenish? — but that's all right, since Poe's supposed use of absinthe is treated with skepticism by scholars anyway. The cardamom note is comforting, and the sandalwood is smooth and lustrous. There's also an unexpected but distinct "stewed-fruit" aspect that adds a slightly syrupy, but seasonally appropriate, note to the mix. I do wish that Paddywax had gone a bit darker and weirder for Mr. Poe, but the brand is probably just a bit too mainstream for that approach; you might have to turn to Cire Trudon or Diptyque if you're seeking a candle with a more shadowy Symbolist feeling.
I can recall a few other fragranced products inspired by writers — Maître Parfumeur et Gantier's George Sand fragrance is one, and then there's Tocca's oddly inaccurate tribute to "the French novelist and courtesan" Colette. Come to think of it, Poe has already been honored by Tokyo Milk's Poe's Tobacco fragrance and candle, which I still haven't tried. I'm all in favor of this concept, as long as it's done well, since it combines two of my favorite pursuits. Paddywax's "library" also includes homages to Walt Whitman (leafy and grassy!), Jane Austen (lush flower garden), Henry David Thoreau (very back-to-nature), and Charles Dickens (holiday potpourri), for the different types of scent-loving bookworms on your own gift list.
Paddywax's Library Collection/Edgar Allan Poe line includes a 9 oz candle ($25), a travel tin candle ($8), and a 4 oz reed diffuser ($28); it is available at the Paddywax website and Amazon.
Sounds nice! I prefer the sort of darker scents for candles and this sounds like a good one. Like I need another candle.
Anthropologie carries a line of perfumes that have been inspired by literature. I haven’t explored them much, mostly because they don’t have paper strips there.
Histoires de Parfums has a few author-inspired perfumes. The DeSade one is the only one that resonates with me as far as being kind of close to the mark.
Tama, I didn’t exactly *need* another candle, either… but how could I resist?! I should make a visit to Anthropologie, to check out their current scent offerings. I usually try to avoid that place, since I end up buying *dresses* that I don’t need, either… ha.
Tokyo Milk’s Poe’s Tobacco was disappointing to me. Actually, I found all of their candles to be disappointing, which is unfortunate because the packaging is SO CUTE.
I’ve only tried their fragrances and soaps, not the candles… that’s too bad, because the packaging is so sweet.
I agree -t he packaging on these products is advorable and the prices are wonderful. The scents, however, have not worked for me in any form. Sigh.
Aw, that *is* a shame. I like several of the fragrances (EDTs? EDPs?). And, like you say, the price is right.
Perhaps a Poe candle should smell of civet (“The Black Cat”) and sherry (“The Cask of Amontillado”).
Jane Austen certainly loved English Gardens (or “parks”) as long as they were well ordered. (Her novels contain criticisms of “gothic” or “romantic effects”). She also appears to have disliked fashion, “improving” houses, and accessories. Most of all, her novels deplore those who spend excessively, particularly on luxury items. (Think of Sir Lucas, or the father in Persuasion, or Robert Freres).
A scented candle in her honor should smell of English roses and ivy, and be moderately priced.
Dilana, I’d definitely buy that candle, if it existed!
I love “Persuasion”… I may be due for a re-read.
Just re-read it last weekend. It’s a pity that it is her last full novel, because she seemed to be heading into a more realistic direction. It has, for instance, a character impoverished through a poor marriage, and a character who seems clinically depressed. Its hero is a self-made man. Unfortunately, it also seems as if the author failed to carry out the implications of some of her more realistic plot lines to the fullest. Perhaps she was unwilling to abandon the fairy tale plot structures (girl attracts sexy, rich husband through her virtues despite society which emphasizes marriage as economic exchange), or perhaps, she was simply running out of physical and mental strength while writing it.
The book does contain a long walk in an English garden.
Love Persuasion, Pride & Prejudice, and Emma.
I agree that it should smell of flowers and ivy but I’d love to smell a bit of a sharp note underlying the works–maybe a sharp green or herb–to symbolize Austen’s wicked wit.
Yes! I agree. She’s not just the sentimentalist that some people may imagine.
I think Jane would like her candle to smell woody-papery and a bit green. She never really falls into raptures over any particular flower (I remember Catherine mentioning that she had just learnt to love a hyacinth in Northanger Abbey), but she clearly loved the English countryside.
I would love to see a line of fragrances inspired by Jane Austen characters. I’d love a whif of Mr. Willoughby..even if he is a cad.
I’d like that, too! Maybe the Jane Austen Society should collaborate with some good-quality candle manufacturer… lots of possibilities for interesting/lovely fragrances!
Oh yes, and how about a Mr. Churchill cologne (the ultimately unsuitable young man in Emma who goes to London for a fashionable haircut)? He would have certainly had obtained an expensive and lovely cologne.
The fact that we imagine the cads as the most beautifully perfumed supports my point that Austen was suspicious of luxury products.
I was thinking more about the particularity of Maryanne Dashwood. I think she would have had very definite ideas about the way a man should and should not smell.
I don’t know . . . I might spend quite a bit on a Capt. Wentworth candle. It would have to have a note of sea spray or ambergris. . . .
Even better if it came with Captain Wentworth!
The Poe candle sounds nice, and I like the packaging too. Ooh, I would like a Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) candle. It would smell of good pipe tobacco and of course be made of beeswax.
Oh, nice one, H!!
With accents of cocaine and rosin?
Love AC Doyle.
Yes!
This sounds like the perfect candle for a cold evening.
Dolly, It definitely feels right for autumn! I’ll be sorry when it’s used up (I bought the travel-tin size).
This line sounds right up my alley. I particularly covet the Poe and Austen scents. Poe would be perfect for an autumnal Halloween evening!
And my boyfriend is thoroughly unimpressed with my passion for perfume. He doesn’t get it at all, but I suppose he doesn’t have to. I wear fragrance for myself (though it would be nice if he actually liked one or two of them).
Bookgirl, Fragrance is really something we do for ourselves first… at least, I think it is!
I tried to time this post for the Halloween season, even though Poe is wonderful to read at any time of year!
Ooh, I want this! The price for the travel tin is great. I also need to check out the Tokyo Milk Poe candle. I didn’t know they had candles. I really like their fragrances, but admit I’d like most of them better as a candle or room spray.
Miss Kitty, I’m happy to report that the travel tins have good “throw” — not super-strong, but enough for a medium-sized room or a small apartment!
Do they last very long? If there’s one thing that makes me crazy, it’s a candle you get two uses out of.
You know, I can’t figure out how many ounces the travel tins are… but I’ve been burning my Poe for an hour at a time (so the metal doesn’t get *too* hot), 6 or 7 times by now, and there’s still plenty left. I think it’s about the equivalent of two votives…?
Ah, I need this! And happy to hear the throw is decent.
I think I tried the Tokyo Milk Poe scent (well, it was the tobacco one), and was disappointed. It was not at all tobacco-y.
Thanks for the great review!
Thank *you*, Freska! I can see you enjoying these… esp the Poe and the Thoreau. They’re not as weirdly wonderful as, say, Diptyque’s John Galliano candle, but for the price, they’re very well done!
I’m looking forward to the mildew-and-blood-scented Stephen King candle!
Anything is possible in the fragrance world these days!