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Do you do it? Are you one of them? The they who openly and brazenly thrust their fetish on an unsuspecting public?
I do. And I am.
I'm a book sniffer. If you happen upon me in the aisles of an old, used bookstore, you will catch a glimpse of my closed eyes over the spine of a book. With nose stuffed into the open pages of a yellowed, beaten copy, I huff in...that smell. The full bodied bouquet of must, experience, wisdom, aged thoughts.
Nothing else in the world has that smell and an attempt at duplication would fail miserably. It's the sweet comforting perfume of freedom of thought, beauty in words, and unleashed imagination.
So, now that you're in a safe place, it's time to come clean with your fixation. Are you a slow sniffer, quick whiffer, or completely unmoved by the scent of a book?
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13 comments:
I wouldn't say I'm unmoved necessarily but I don't sniff my books; not their spines nor their pages. But I do appreciate the general smell of a new book over an old one. I buy lots of used books and they have a certain musty smell that makes my nose twitch from excitement (at the prospect of a new acquisition) and suspicion. Who knows where these pages have been and what odors they have absorbed to incorperate into themselves? No, I'm not a book sniffer because I prefer to not think about what my books smell like.
Petunia~
A new, crisp book definitely does have an appealing scent, doesn't it?
I'm a Bible sniffer. I just love the smell of a new, leather bible. It is one of the first things I do after taking off the plastic shrink-wrap. I open it up and inhale.
I have been known to sniff other books, used books especially...but it is more of a precaution so I don't bring home one that smells suspicious.
Ooh, new leather is a great one, Becky!
I have been know to sniffs book or two! I do a slow one.
Oh yes, I'm a book sniffer too. I love the smell of books.
So I am not the only one who likes to sniff books :)
I am more of a "new books sniffer", as I love the scent of new books. It seems to me so clean, fresh and filled with promise of enchanting moments. :)
Glad to know there are other book sniffers out there! I don't know what it is, but there's nothing like the smell of a book. Though on a couple of occasions I've found new books that smell really bad! Must be the ink or something.
--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
I thought for a moment that I was on Diary of an Eccentric's page....she is in love with the smell of books. I rather touch the pages...caress them...you know.
I'm most definitely a book sniffer. I just love the smell or rather the aroma of books. I used to work in a large city library and just loved the smell as I came into work through the book stacks. Those were the days!
I'm a sniffer, too, but I usually wait until I get home - then the books are MINE, so I can sniff away. =)
I sniff, but working in a secondhand bookshop it's rather necessary. Before setting out any books for sale I like to make sure they don't smell yucky - there's nothing worse than a mildewy book. It's neat though how some books have certain scents, some westerns have a men's cologne smell, cookbooks that give off the aroma of Italian food and the classics or antiques often smell of old-fashioned parchment paper.
I love everyone's insights! Thank you so much for sharing. I hope to encounter you all in a bookshop one day, partaking in your sniff of choice! :-D
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