The Confessions of a Serial Book Sniffer

My name is Trisha, and I must confess I am a serial book sniffer.

Once I get a brand new book, the first thing I do is stick it up to my nose.

I can't help it, it just happens and no I am not sorry either!

Although it seems that I am not alone in this addiction...

I decided to do a poll on book sniffing via Twitter.

Literally, hundreds of you took part- it blew my mind!

And the result was 22.9% of you also sniffed books.

Life of a book sniffer...

"Vic smelled the vast vault filled with books before she saw it... She breathed deeply of the scent of decaying fiction, disintegrating history, and forgotten verse, and she observed for the first time that a room full of books smelled like dessert: a sweet snack made of figs, vanilla, glue, and cleverness". - Joe Hill

I am not sure how this started, but I have been sniffing books since I was a little girl.

Every scent tells a story

a school book, a library book, an old book, a book from a clinical setting.

It’s part of the wider sensory experience and yes, maybe it is more than just smell as I like to run my hands over it whilst salivating...

And then make a cup of coffee, surprisingly 11.4% of you in the Twitter poll agreed on that too!

I have to admit I’ve moved on to mixing media now, so it isn't just about the books anymore.

I’m inhaling the scent of magazines, brochures, and even back street catalogs.

My nose is straight there as if an unconscious decision has occurred, and I am sorry to say I cannot stop myself.

The scent of things to come

"I  LOVE  TO

smell the flowers

and sniff the books

sitting in gardens

and library nooks"

~Terri Guillemets, "Petals & leaves," 1995.

When I visit the public library, it’s so hard not to stick the books straight to my nose.

My book sniffing is done in private with no prying eyes to judge my weird obsession. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than inhaling the pages of books.

Do you know what I have discovered? All books smell different, and just like people, some books smell better than others.

Some smell fishy - we will not go there! Others have a lovely fragrance to them.

Some smell of nicotine and alcohol, and others like they have been near an open fire. The older books with a ‘leatherish’ scent have to be my favorite.

I used to think I was weird until I discovered olfactory perception was a thing and how mindful I was with my reading.

Engaging almost all of my senses for books apart from the taste. I stop at book licking — I do have boundaries!

The scent of books can spark strong emotions. When I visit my childhood home, where I was lucky enough to grow up with a personal library of books, the whiff brings back strong childhood memories.

However, the dust on the older books also impacts my allergies, “Achoo!”

The Science of book sniffing

"The aroma of an old book is familiar to every user of a traditional library. A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness, this unmistakable smell is as much a part of the book as its contents." - Matija Strlič, a chemist at University College London, quoted in "The smell of old books analysed by scientists," The Telegraph, 2009.

Yes, there is some real science there, although I am unsure if any studies have actually been done in this area.

Books are made up of paper, inks, and adhesives- that is a fact.

Over time these start to break down and give off a ‘vanilla-ish’ smell.

This is because wood-based paper contains a chemical called lignin. This could be described as the sexier cousin of vanilla.

This scent can be appealing to bookish nerds — maybe I should capture this as a perfume!

Books and hygge time

"You cannot hold a computer in your hand like you can a book. I don't care what they say about "e-books." A computer does not smell. There are two perfumes to a book: a book is new, it smells great; a book is old, it smells even better. It smells like ancient Egypt. So a book has got to smell. You have to hold it in your hands and pray to it. You put it in your pocket and you walk with it. And it stays with you forever. But the computer doesn't do that for you. I'm sorry". ~Ray Bradbury, interview with Sam Weller, 2010

Hygge is a Danish term that could be best described as ‘coziness’ in English, and nothing is cozier or better for well-being than curling up with a good-smelling book in fluffy socks and a warm blanket.

With a hot drink and the pets close by. A warm toasty feeling on a cold winter's eve. Pure freedom and uninterrupted leisure time. Perfection.

Books relax, comfort, and remind me of the wonderful moments I’ve experienced throughout my life. The smell of books calms my anxiety.

They are my sanctuary in a chaotic world.