The smell of books..... ?

[M0zza]

I don't know if this is a damning enditement of British society today, or just the fact that the internet is a great way for weirdos to get together. But in a section call 'Timew@asters' which list really weird websites in one of the free papers in London last night was the following:

'
uk.geocities.com/booksniffersanon/

This group of oddballs derives pleasure from sniffing books of all sizes, ages and, no doubt, content. Look no further than the British Book-Sniffing Enthusiast's Home Page for tips on smelling and being downright weird.
'



Could groups like this be a reason that dead tree books will always be around?

Also do they have a militant wing?

[dragonbone]

Originally Posted by M0zza

This group of oddballs derives pleasure from sniffing books of all sizes, ages and, no doubt, content. Look no further than the British Book-Sniffing Enthusiast's Home Page for tips on smelling and being downright weird.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by M0zza

Also do they have a militant wing?

No.
But they have the colorblind wing and that wing got the task of designing the site

[montsnmags]

I was sitting on the plane as it taxied into the terminal yesterday, fanning my pbook (Saul Bellow's Collected Stories) with my thumb, and a small cloud of that light, dry, slightly vinegary odour of modern paper hit the back of my nose, and I inhaled it deeply, thought of the billy bookcases at home weighted with all the books I've read and loved, and I smiled, happy to be coming home.

It's not a problem though. I can stop any time I want.

Cheers,
Marc

[kacir]

Paper books smell AWFUL.
Period.

Many veteran bookworms (like myself) would swear that they smell nice. That is simply a Pavlovian Reflex.

We were conditioned to associate smell of mouldy pulp, slowly decomposing organic glue (**), aggresive chemicals used to process brown pulp into white paper, unwashed hands of dozens of people reading the library book at the loo with all those countles hours of [reading] pleasure we get from those smelly books.

(**) you do NOT want to know what was the glue manufactured from some 50 years ago

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by kacir

Paper books smell AWFUL.
Period.

Many veteran bookworms (like myself) would swear that they smell nice. That is simply a Pavlovian Reflex.

We were conditioned to associate smell of mouldy pulp, slowly decomposing organic glue (**), aggresive chemicals used to process brown pulp into white paper, unwashed hands of dozens of people reading the library book at the loo with all those countles hours of [reading] pleasure we get from those smelly books.

(**) you do NOT want to know what was the glue manufactured from some 50 years ago

I never thought about it before, but you're spot on. I had a bit of a reservation about getting rid of all my pbooks, but now I'm thinking of them as decaying chemicals and mould it will be a lot easier

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by kacir

Paper books smell AWFUL.
Period.

Two of them thus far.

Many veteran bookworms (like myself) would swear that they smell nice. That is simply a Pavlovian Reflex.

Awfully nice?

We were conditioned to associate smell of mouldy pulp, slowly decomposing organic glue (**), aggresive chemicals used to process brown pulp into white paper, unwashed hands of dozens of people reading the library book at the loo with all those countles hours of [reading] pleasure we get from those smelly books.

To paraphrase the modern Homer, "Mmm, mouldy pulp, slowly decomposing organic glue, aggresive chemicals used to process brown pulp into white paper, arrrgggglllll [drool]" (I don't borrow books from the library though - the only unwashed hands are my own )

(**) you do NOT want to know what was the glue manufactured from some 50 years ago

It reminds me of the myth of Frau Blucher, and that makes me laugh. "O-val-tine?" Giggle.

[wayrad]

Originally Posted by kacir

(**) you do NOT want to know what was the glue manufactured from some 50 years ago

I've got some of that for fixing guitars with (the consistency can be controlled, it doesn't hurt tone or stain the wood very much, and it can be taken apart with heat if you ever need to). The smell can be nasty if it sits around wet - I assume that's due to bacterial growth. I would think it would be too brittle to use on books though (I suppose they'd just use it for things like holding the cover together, not for the bendy parts).

PS. By 50 years ago, it had long been supplanted by modern glues for most purposes. I never encountered it when I was a kid, just epoxies, white glues, etc - pretty much the modern assortment except for the cyanoacrylates. Although I do have vague memories of life without Scotch tape (it existed, we just didn't have it). You don't want to know what it was like trying to wrap presents...

[Wetdogeared]

Dr. Drib, can you wade (weigh) in here please, or have you changed your sig lately?

WDE.

*update* Never mind, I see you've changed your sig.

[Jill75]

Originally Posted by kacir

Paper books smell AWFUL.
Period.

We were conditioned to associate smell of mouldy pulp, slowly decomposing organic glue (**), aggresive chemicals used to process brown pulp into white paper, unwashed hands of dozens of people reading the library book at the loo with all those countles hours of [reading] pleasure we get from those smelly books.

I was just wondering that enjoyment or pleasure of smelling them is better than thinking of your health in smelling and inhaling all those moulds? Hmmm. just curious. Plus perhaps the dust?

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Do these people work in bookshops, I wonder? Most of the staff at the one I used to work at loved smelling books. Well, most books. Some books had an utterly vile smell, not too dissimilar to warm, old blood.

[TallMomof2]

I'm allergic to the mold commonly found in books so sniffing books is definitely not a pleasure for me.

[elena]

Originally Posted by kacir

Paper books smell AWFUL.
Period.

Many veteran bookworms (like myself) would swear that they smell nice. That is simply a Pavlovian Reflex.

dunno.. I love the smell of books (not all editions though) regardless of the content. I love also the smell of some magazines I would never read, and hate newspapers'

[Penforhire]

The smell of books is one of the joys of bookstores to me. I'm sure it is simple association with reading. Maybe I'll get the same emotional triggers from something like downloading a book. But it hasn't happened yet. I think our sense of smell is tied to something in our subconscious. Maybe a scent dispenser on an e-reader?

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

The smell of books is one of the joys of bookstores to me. I'm sure it is simple association with reading. Maybe I'll get the same emotional triggers from something like downloading a book. But it hasn't happened yet. I think our sense of smell is tied to something in our subconscious. Maybe a scent dispenser on an e-reader?

Knowing this place, within moments of the scent dispenser going on the market, somebody at MR would figure out how to hack it and convert it to a web cam or something.

Books always smelled like dust to me. That is the smell I imagine whenever I'm reading and the story's characters go into a crypt.

Now, give me a nice stack of freshly mimeographed quizzes, and I'll try to inhale them in one big sniff. I used to love that smell! (Perhaps that explains my disappearing memory of late?)