The scent of books

[~Elle~]

Today I happened to smell (by accident) the pages of an old paperback I was reading. It smelled sooooo good! I'm always reminded of the scent of books, the older they are, the better! There's just something about it that makes me feel happy! Is anyone else mesmerized by the smell of books? Do you ever intentionally sniff them, or would you prefer to keep your nose out of it?

[Just Me]

One of the things I love most in books store, is the smell of new books. I can stand there for hours and just sniff them one by one

[StephenKingman]

I actually cant stand the smell of old books but love that crisp, fresh smell of new paperback novels! Thats one of the reasons i dont generally buy second hand books, because of that old, used smell and God knows how many pairs of hands on the paper before you but at least new is new and refreshing, i know im weird!

[~Elle~]

I've never thought of really smelling brand new books before, should try it the next time I buy some! Maybe it will be my new obsession...And StephenKingman, when you put it that way, I don't really feel like smelling old paperbacks now unless they are mine...

[StephenKingman]

Im the same! You dont know who has had their nose up against the pages which you read so best to buy things new. Even when im browsing books or magazines in a second hand store, that ancient yellowy waft or smell just overwhelms me and puts me off making the purchase.

[Fran]

I like the smell of printer ink too but I don't generally go around sniffing books (old or new)

[andr70]

I like the smell of new books, just published as theu have the smell of ink and paper.

[PhotonicGuy]

Yes, I like the smell of books too (old or new). And even if they have passed through many hands, I like not only new books, I love old bookshops and public libraries.

[~Elle~]

I'm right there with you, PhotonicGuy.

[SinStar4]

Well it depends if the book I am smelling came from a public library or not!
But seriously, this reminds me of the Song Scentless Apprentice that was written by Nirvana that is about a book titled Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

[Fran]

Well it depends if the book I am smelling came from a public library or not!
But seriously, this reminds me of the Song Scentless Apprentice that was written by Nirvana that is about a book titled Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

And a superb book it is too ... way better than the movie

[oloroso36]

Agreed Fran, Perfume is a much better book than movie.

As to book smells, very musty books can put me off. New ones do smell enticing. I'm a dedicated library user and therefore a big hand sanitizer user!

[Fran]

I'm a dedicated library user and therefore a big hand sanitizer user!

Library fan myself too & I pass books around my friends & workmates all the time & to be honest I never considered your point about hand sanitizers.

[StephenKingman]

I'm a dedicated library user and therefore a big hand sanitizer user!

Library fan myself too & I pass books around my friends & workmates all the time & to be honest I never considered your point about hand sanitizers.

To be fair Fran, if you started using hand sanitizers for the handling of library books, you may as well do the same when handling money or shaking hands with people....where does it end!

[oloroso36]

Germs are the #1 reason hospitals no longer supply reading material in waiting rooms. But one can take it too far - I'm not obsessive about it. At least not yet!