smelly books
I can’t stand used/old books. It’s not their aesthetics (folded pages, broken binding, etc), but the distinct smell all books seem to develop over time. If I open a book and there is even the slightest hint of this odor, I can’t read it – even if I had personally purchased the books brand spandking new and it’s been sitting on my shelf for just a few weeks. Needless to say, I don’t hold a library card.
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Libraries are gross. All those books that people have touched…ICK!
OOOH, I am the exact oposite! I HATE new books. They have no smell, no history. I adore old books, smelling where they’ve been, reading someone’s mysterious notes or figuring out why they dogeared certain pages.
I hate to admit it – I’m a book lover but I’m grossed out by any old books that came from strangers, like from book sales, used book stores, or Ebay. If it belonged to me or my family or friends for many years, I’m OK with it being old. But old books with unknown previous owners, yuk. Brand new books I LOVE – they’re one of my greatest pleasures in life!
I agree with Andrea! I love the experience of reading; the feel of the pages, the smell of the book, the look of the typeface. They add to the joy of reading! (And really, germs can’t usually live on paper for any length of time.)
i enjoy the smell of old books. if you don’t like libraries, you might as well keep away from all video rental stores as well. restaurants too, given you’re reusing the same dishes and cutlery as hundreds of others. there’s a reason why you watch your hands, people.
I agree with Andrea and Clerk! When I pick up an old book, say from a Used Book Store, I fastisize about where it has been, who has read it, and who has tresured it over the years. How exciting!
Sorry Smantha! Didn’t mean to leave you out!
nothing beats the smell of a old comic book
I like the musty smell of old books. I open the book and inhale it.
I don’t like to touch library books after I have had my nightly bath and am in bed just wanting to read a little bit. I don’t want to ruin my clean purity by touching the library book. Sometimes I clean library books with Windex when I get home, but
I feel unsure about how many germs are killed by that method of cleaning.
guys, germs don’t live long at all on books. and if they did, how would a used book be cleaner than a library book? how would you know exactly who owned it? don’t you think people touch new books at the book store? take a deep breath and think about this logically.
I agree with Andrea! I love the smell of old books. And just old books in general; the whole idea of the history behind them and wondering who the previous owners were is my favorite :]
I love the smell of old books! new books smell like nothing…
I love the smell of ALL books. Old and new, used, pre-owned, library, or straight from the printers. My only neurosis about books is that I’m having trouble walking through my small apartment because of the sheer number of books.