Library Fangirl
Student, geek, and future library technician to-be.
Compulsive hoarder of tasty chocolate, kitty cuddles, and really good stories.
Compulsive hoarder of tasty chocolate, kitty cuddles, and really good stories.
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Posts tagged "old book smell"
Basically, a book is made of organic materials — a variety of different papers and inks, as well as glues and fibers used to bind the book together. These organic components react to heat, light and moisture in the environment and with the chemicals used to make the book itself. Specific odours are the result of the particular blend of volatile compounds released by the sum total of the book’s organic materials. These odours also include those contributed by outside influences encountered by the book during its life — influences that impart the familiar stench of old cigarettes or cigars that is often associated with old books, for example.
That old books smell is the smell of death.
And now you know.
*Cue catchy PSA jingle*
