I came to the library to get some books and now I can’t leave because it smells so good in here.
The smell of books is magical.
P.S. This post is not an excuse for Kindle-bashing. Movies don’t cancel out the theater, the Beatles did not make opera irrelevant, computers have not destroyed paper.
I learned early on that my daughter’s security blanket was books. She would put them up to her face, breath deeply, and then let out a sigh of comfort. 🙂
LikeLike
I read yesterday that the paper which goes into bookmaking contains traces of vanillin scent via lignin, which breaks down as the paper ages, contributing to that wonderful smell. 🙂
LikeLike
How interesting! I had no idea.
LikeLike
Oh god I love that smell. ❤
LikeLike
This post made me nostalgic all over again 🙂 As a kid, library was my idea of neverland, where I could interact with everyone from historical figures to super-heroes 🙂 it was beautiful
LikeLike
Indeed. I have always been a little aftaid that the smell of books was maybe harmful, like the “new car smell” turned out to be. But I really enjoy it.
LikeLike
I love the smell of books, too. It reminds me of happy childhood memories. But I recently bought a Kobo, in part because of your enthusiasm for the Kindle, in part because there are too many books in my house. But I have some issues with it. I only get about a third of a page on it at a time, and this slows down my reading. How do you deal with that?
LikeLike
I love the smell of books too…I always thought it was a secret affliction. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought there were other peculiar people like me–I just thought that I was odd and I’ve been told that too. I also adore bookcases filled with books, of course, too. I enjoy looking at design websites that feature them. I know it is old-fashioned, but still it makes me happy to see them. Somehow they just tend to make a house feel more like a home to me. I love being in a bookstore too and reading there. Thanks for such a lovely, but brief post.
LikeLike
” I also adore bookcases filled with books, of course, too. I enjoy looking at design websites that feature them. I know it is old-fashioned, but still it makes me happy to see them. Somehow they just tend to make a house feel more like a home to me. I love being in a bookstore too and reading there. ”
– Yes, yes, I feel the same!!!
LikeLike
I love love LOVE books. I love libraries and bookstores. I agree that there is a magic to all that knowledge and all those stories. I in particular love to find old books that haven’t been read in many years, it just is neat to be taking out a book where you’re the only person reading it in forever, it’s like learning secret knowledge.
I am saddened that the bookstores unfortunately are being driven out of business by Amazon it seems. Books are just so great for ecommerce as no one needs to try them on or anything, and they are easy to ship and don’t get damaged in the shipping process, so people buy them online or now download them. Ecommerce, ebooks, and the likes of Wal-Mart, Target, and so forth, are killing the bookstore companies unfortunately.
Another thing I don’t like is that because of the control over the market of the big retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, and such, which sell more books than the bookstores, they are literally gaining control over the book publishing industry. The business model is becoming reversed. It used to be that the bookstores needed books, and hence needed the book publishers, to survive. But now it’s the opposite: the book publishers need the retailers in order to survive. Unlike a bookstore, a company like Wal-Mart or Target only sells books because they make money. If a product line doesn’t make enough money for their bottom line, they discontinue it. And unlike bookstores, they only sell the books that are the real moneymakers, which is meaning they have a lot of control over the publishing industry now. If a company like Wal-Mart refuses to sell a particular book, it can be a major financial blow to the publisher. If on the other hand they agree to sell the book, just their selling it can turn it into a bestseller.
Anyways, on books and libraries, here is a website you might enjoy if you are unaware of it: http://www.beautiful-libraries.com
LikeLike
That reminds me of the Westmount library, which has a greenhouse attached where I used to go if I needed to recharge when I was a student at McGill.
LikeLike
A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
Leave a comment