Old books smell of grass and acid
by Anorak | 17th, April 2012
Chemists at University College, London have investigated the old book odor and concluded that old books release hundreds of volatile organic compounds into the air from the paper. The lead scientist described the smell as “a combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness.”
The Bible smells of hellfire and Vimto; Middlemarch has top notes of regret; and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales have base notes synonymous with the top of a sucked pencil…
Posted: 17th, April 2012 | In: Books Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
