That and patchouli oil, another favorite of one subset of the used book and CD set, at least when I was in school.
I’d recognize incense or patchouli oil. The smell in question is definitely some variation on “musty.” Which still makes more sense as a byproduct of used books than used CDs.
The used-CD-store smell you notice is not universal.
I’ve had the exact opposite experience from you – every used-CD place I’ve been in (four or five in a few separate places in Louisiana and Mississippi) haven’t smelled the least bit funky, musty, or anything.
However, the old-bookstore smell is very familiar down here in the land of 95% humidity.
Where are all of these used record stores that sell incense?! I’ve been collecting vinyl for 20 years now & have yet to encounter one. Sounds like a 60s/70s phenomenon. Is that something that still happens?
There’s a difference between the musty “old book” smell and the smell of mold, which is what I think Thin Ice encountered. I also refuse all books with any whiff of mold in my bookstore. Just as that other proprietor said, it will spread quickly to other books, producing not only a magnification of the aroma, but discolored spots on the paper as well.
The “old book” smell, on the other hand, I love. I keep all of my oldest books on the shelves right behind my desk in my office so that I can smell them when I’m working.