I don't care how books smell either - Page 3

Elfwreck · 04-16-2010, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael J Hunt

Hello, Elfwreck,

I appreciate the tremendous trouble you have gone to in order to educate me. I still haven't decided whether I should invest in an e-reader, but I shall look at the choices available and re-visit your comments.

It's no trouble at all; I'm obsessed, and any excuse to throw info at a stranger is one less lecture my husband has to listen to. And replying helps me sort out the facts and my opinions; if you get anything out of it, that's a nice bonus.

tamole · 07-01-2010, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TGS

I always thought I was the sort of person who "loves books". I could spend hours in second-hand bookshops, was always was thrilled when I got book tokens as gifts because I could indulge in buying a stack of books that I couldn't justify splurging cash on and just liked to have books around. A couple of months ago I got my first ebook reader and, whilst I still like second-hand bookshops I reckon there is as much pleasure to be gained from a well-formatted ebook as there is from most pbooks.

It makes me wonder how many book aficionados would really enjoy the transition to ebooks if they just tried it.

Books are about the writing. I, too, love book stores and my home library is filled with books. And I still buy hard books when I find one I'd like to keep around. That said, ebooks have enabled me to read much more often than I did before. I can carry a library of books when I travel and always have the next one ready to go. If I have 15 minutes here or there, I always have a book on my phone. I listen to audio books in my car and when working in the yard or around the house. It makes no difference to me if the words are printed on paper or a screen, great writing is great writing.

MaggieScratch · 07-01-2010, 04:27 PM

I own a book that was published/printed in the 1850s and it smells like dust, basically.

J. Strnad · 07-01-2010, 11:09 PM

The pleasure of the smell or feel or whatever of a print book is associational. We love these things because they have a pleasant association in our minds with being swept away by books, with the joy of READING.

Ereaders can still give us this joy. It just takes a little time to rearrange our neural nets to appreciate them.

Maggie Leung · 07-02-2010, 03:59 AM

I can appreciate the textural and visual pleasure of books, but have never been drawn to the smell. Growing up in the tropics, I found the smell of old books actually turned me off (partly associated with damp and creepy crawlies).

Reading to me is mostly about the writing, the stories, though. I don't mind giving up the textural and visual enjoyment much, but there are practical uses for print books where I find e-books fall way short. Not being able to easily flip through books and compare two or more books is a big drawback, for instance. Even with a Kindle and an iPad, this isn't anywhere near as convenient. (I read a lot of nonfiction; this probably comes up less with fiction.)

TheOn3LeftBehind · 07-02-2010, 04:20 AM

I just like the feel of a physical library. Especially one like in Beauty and the Beast. I *will* have a huge library whence I'm out of college.

J. Strnad · 07-02-2010, 11:21 AM

Wait until you move a few times. Those physical books lose a lot of their appeal when you're shlepping boxes of them up three flights of stairs.

Some books need to be printed and are worth the investment, but most of what I read doesn't need the deluxe treatment. For these, an ereader is perfect.

Luckily, you don't have to choose one or the other...you can choose both!

fjtorres · 07-02-2010, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

Wait until you move a few times. Those physical books lose a lot of their appeal when you're shlepping boxes of them up three flights of stairs.

Oh, my achin' back!
I'm going through that drill right now and wondering how I ended up with 60 cu ft worth of dead tree pulp. (New place will have a library and I hope it'll look cool but for now...)

A lot of fun times in those boxes but none of them seems to smell particularly good.

LDBoblo · 07-02-2010, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

Reading to me is mostly about the writing, the stories, though. I don't mind giving up the textural and visual enjoyment much, but there are practical uses for print books where I find e-books fall way short.

I have yet to use my ebook reader to kill a spider or cockroach, though I suspect that will be remedied in the future when more screens will have plastic backplanes...if I bother to buy one.

Spiffy · 07-02-2010, 11:35 AM

It's a silly article.

People who love the smell of books might be confusing their sense memory with their love of books. But I don't REALLY think its all that common a position.

I mean how many people still buy hardcover books with leather bindings? THAT'S where the smell thing originated. People who think that some 20 year old ratty paperback smells like a vintage leather bound volume aren't operating with a full deck anyway.

garygibsonsf · 07-02-2010, 12:03 PM

I'm glad someone started this thread, because one of the things that bugs me about the whole 'smell of books' argument is that a lot of the time what people are really smelling - particularly in terms of old or second-hand books- is rotting paper. You're smelling the long, slow death of your book as it slowly turns yellow and crumbles - a fate which, assuming you're not allergic to occasional backups, your digital text (okay, assuming it's multiformat or has been de-drmed) will never suffer.

jezebel · 07-02-2010, 01:04 PM

The books that smell like old books are the ones I avoid buying.

whitearrow · 07-02-2010, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiffy

It's a silly article.

People who love the smell of books might be confusing their sense memory with their love of books. But I don't REALLY think its all that common a position.

I hear it all the time when I talk about my Kindle. "But I love the smell of REAL books!" etc.

There are more people in the book sniffing crowd than you'd think

HamsterRage · 07-02-2010, 01:45 PM

I remain baffled by this. Truly, truly baffled.

To me books are all about the content. I buy them, I open them to page 1 and start reading. When I get to the end I put it on a bookshelf or take it off to a second-hand bookstore.

The fate of the book after I'm finished totally depends on the content. Was it good? Was it part of a series? Can I see myself reading it again?

I'm fairly convinced that people that say they find ereading somehow lacking have not really tried it on a good, dedicated ereader.

Maggie Leung · 07-02-2010, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

I have yet to use my ebook reader to kill a spider or cockroach, though I suspect that will be remedied in the future when more screens will have plastic backplanes...if I bother to buy one.

Lol. I hope you're joking. I've killed plenty of bugs, but not with books.

07-02-2010, 03:59 AM	#35
Maggie Leung Wizard Posts: 1,449 Karma: 58383 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle, iPad	I can appreciate the textural and visual pleasure of books, but have never been drawn to the smell. Growing up in the tropics, I found the smell of old books actually turned me off (partly associated with damp and creepy crawlies). Reading to me is mostly about the writing, the stories, though. I don't mind giving up the textural and visual enjoyment much, but there are practical uses for print books where I find e-books fall way short. Not being able to easily flip through books and compare two or more books is a big drawback, for instance. Even with a Kindle and an iPad, this isn't anywhere near as convenient. (I read a lot of nonfiction; this probably comes up less with fiction.) Last edited by Maggie Leung; 07-02-2010 at 04:03 AM.

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07-01-2010, 04:27 PM	#33
MaggieScratch Has got to the black veil Posts: 542 Karma: 2144168 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Device: Kobo Aura One, Kindle Paperwhite 2	I own a book that was published/printed in the 1850s and it smells like dust, basically.

07-01-2010, 11:09 PM	#34
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	The pleasure of the smell or feel or whatever of a print book is associational. We love these things because they have a pleasant association in our minds with being swept away by books, with the joy of READING. Ereaders can still give us this joy. It just takes a little time to rearrange our neural nets to appreciate them.

07-02-2010, 04:20 AM	#36
TheOn3LeftBehind Bitter Witch Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lake In The Hills, IL Device: Nook	I just like the feel of a physical library. Especially one like in Beauty and the Beast. I will have a huge library whence I'm out of college.

07-02-2010, 11:21 AM	#37
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	Wait until you move a few times. Those physical books lose a lot of their appeal when you're shlepping boxes of them up three flights of stairs. Some books need to be printed and are worth the investment, but most of what I read doesn't need the deluxe treatment. For these, an ereader is perfect. Luckily, you don't have to choose one or the other...you can choose both!

07-02-2010, 11:35 AM	#40
Spiffy Groupie Posts: 160 Karma: 416 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Astak EZ Reader Pro AND Sony PRS-505	It's a silly article. People who love the smell of books might be confusing their sense memory with their love of books. But I don't REALLY think its all that common a position. I mean how many people still buy hardcover books with leather bindings? THAT'S where the smell thing originated. People who think that some 20 year old ratty paperback smells like a vintage leather bound volume aren't operating with a full deck anyway.

07-02-2010, 12:03 PM	#41
garygibsonsf Addict Posts: 321 Karma: 432192 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite	I'm glad someone started this thread, because one of the things that bugs me about the whole 'smell of books' argument is that a lot of the time what people are really smelling - particularly in terms of old or second-hand books- is rotting paper. You're smelling the long, slow death of your book as it slowly turns yellow and crumbles - a fate which, assuming you're not allergic to occasional backups, your digital text (okay, assuming it's multiformat or has been de-drmed) will never suffer.

07-02-2010, 01:04 PM	#42
jezebel Fanatic Posts: 528 Karma: 131098 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: a ferry ride from Seattle Device: Kindle Fire (5th Gen), Nook Color	The books that smell like old books are the ones I avoid buying.

07-02-2010, 01:45 PM	#44
HamsterRage Evangelist Posts: 435 Karma: 24326 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Kobo	I remain baffled by this. Truly, truly baffled. To me books are all about the content. I buy them, I open them to page 1 and start reading. When I get to the end I put it on a bookshelf or take it off to a second-hand bookstore. The fate of the book after I'm finished totally depends on the content. Was it good? Was it part of a series? Can I see myself reading it again? I'm fairly convinced that people that say they find ereading somehow lacking have not really tried it on a good, dedicated ereader.

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