# Why Do Books Smell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151 "2009-07-24T19:14:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/1 "2009-07-24T19:14:40Z")
So what makes an old book smell? Almost all library books have that nasty smell to them. It smells kind of like urine. Books I’ve bought in the last 6 or so years don’t have that smell to them. I’d ask for ways to avoid stinking up books, but, like I said, I’ve never had that problem with my own books. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/2 "2009-07-24T19:35:03Z")
In my experience, acrid odors in books are almost always caused by mildew. Mold tends to create a mellower, not-actually-unpleasant aroma. It’s just as bad for the book, though. ETA: And before someone pedantics all over my post, I know that mildew is a form of mold. I use the term to distinguish between forms that seem to need wetter conditions to flourish (mildew) from those that do fine in dryer conditions (mold). ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/3 "2009-07-24T19:45:48Z")
Older paper was made with higher levels of sulfur in it. I’m not sure if you pick up the sulfur naturally or if it needs mold to liberate it, but it is definitely noticeable in some of the old books I have like my treasured copy of 1984. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/4 "2009-07-24T19:49:49Z")
Wasn’t it about 10 years ago that publishers switched to a better, more acid-free paper? There’s a noticeable change in look and feel. The pages don’t yellow so much. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/5 "2009-07-24T20:04:59Z")
I LOVE the smell of old books. I’ve been in the habit of browsing in used book stores for exactly that reason. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/6 "2009-07-24T20:07:55Z")
Brand new books can have a unique smell that fades with time, too. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/7 "2009-07-24T20:20:15Z")
Agreed, **mlees**. Harper-Collins paperbacks circa 1993 are the best. Others are just as distinctive. It’s a good smell :). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/8 "2009-07-24T21:55:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Brand new books can have a unique smell that fades with time, too. I think that one is mostly from the ink, not the paper. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/9 "2009-07-24T23:32:00Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > . . . that nasty smell . . . Nose of the beholder. Old and new books smell very different, and I love them both. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/10 "2009-07-24T23:45:59Z")
I’m with **jayjay** and **panache45**. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled an old book I didn’t like. It’s one of the two main reasons that I love used book stores. (The other, of course, being that the books are cheaper! It’s a win-win! :D) ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/11 "2009-07-25T00:32:14Z")
I’m weird enough that I walk into a bookstore and stop just to smell the air. Mmm, books! Old books, new books, it doesn’t matter. I love the smell of books. There’s a joke site somewhere advertising various sprays in smells like “new book” and “old book.” It’s too bad it’s a joke because I would actually buy the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/12 "2009-07-25T00:55:31Z")
From, of course, _Buffy_: Ms Calendar: Honestly, what is it about [computers] that bothers you so much? Giles: The smell. Ms Calendar: Computers don’t smell, Rupert. Giles: I know. Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower or a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell. Musty and, and, and, and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer, is, it … it has no texture, no context. It’s there and then it’s gone. If it’s to last, then the getting of knowledge should be tangible, it should be, um… smelly. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/13 "2009-07-25T03:31:07Z")
I’ve noticed that library books sometimes have a nastier smell than books in a used book store. Perhaps the books in the store were better taken care of? I’m not sure. I love the smell of old books in used book stores, and some library books have that good smell… but some just reek. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-books-smell/504151/14 "2009-07-26T12:16:44Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I LOVE the smell of old books. I’ve been in the habit of browsing in used book stores for exactly that reason. Another one here who loves the smell of old books.