smelling books....

[denise]

Well Julie I don't know anyone that smells books....but my DH loves to smell his magazines when he gets them. The better the magazine, the better the smell he says....
Ok I don't see it, or smell it, but whatever....

 

[mainegal]

People do like the smell of books - this is what keep bookstores and libraries in business.

 

[rotlex]

Believe it or not, one of the reasons I'll never by a Kindle like device is the touch, feel and yeah, smell of books! I love reading, and the feel of a "real" book in my hand, the pages, all that, is part of what makes it enjoyable. I have a friend or two with Kindles. I just don't really understand how someone can enjoy reading from them. To each his own I guess.

 

[Mickey's Other GF]

I attended a lecture by David Kent, CEO of a HarperCollins Canada (a publishing company) on trends in publishing and he said that one of the main reasons some people are not buying Kindles is because they like the smell of books! He predicts that physical books will never go extinct

 

[BeamsofLight]

I have to admit, I'm a book smeller too. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

That said, I don't think that'd keep me from buying a Kindle if I could afford one. It seems like it'd be awfully convenient for traveling and such. Of course, I'd probably still buy some print books after I got a Kindle, anyway, so I wouldn't be giving up the smell and touch of 'regular' books entirely.

I do really like the idea of being able to read/own a lot of books without needing to buy more shelves, too. My husband and I read a lot, so the ease-of-storage considerations of the Kindle are appealing - we have a ridiculous number of bookshelves in the apartment as it is. I think getting some type of e-reader may be the only thing standing between us and needing an annex at some point.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Believe it or not, one of the reasons I'll never by a Kindle like device is the touch, feel and yeah, smell of books! I love reading, and the feel of a "real" book in my hand, the pages, all that, is part of what makes it enjoyable. I have a friend or two with Kindles. I just don't really understand how someone can enjoy reading from them. To each his own I guess.

This is reminiscent of the argument I heard when CDs seemed to be replacing vinyl.

"I like the warmth of the sound you get from vinyl. I like the hiss and the scratchy sound."

I guess the enjoyment I get from reading is my immersion in the story. If the story is good....all other details disappear. The vehicle is unimportant.

I've also explained before that my Kindle allows me to carry 100s of "real books" with me at any time. This makes traveling with books exponentially easier.

I can shop for and purchase books at any hour of the day or night from anyplace with a cell signal and have my book in less than 30 seconds.

I can make virtually any book a "large print" book.

I can fit an entire library into a 10 ounce device which fits in a pocket

I can hold any book, regardless of size or length, in one hand and turn pages with my thumb, all while laying in any position in bed.

My Kindle and my Kindle iPhone app talk to each other. I can read from my Kindle at home and the later in the day, while I'm standing in line at the grocery store continue reading on my iPhone and my iPhone app asks me if I want to jump to the fathest page read on my Kindle. It works in the other direction as well. I find these two devices have increased the amount of time I spend reading. I've never carried the book I was reading to the grocery store.

Books for my Kindle are almost always cheaper than "real" books. Most are $9.99......even the most current best seller.

I hope this eases some of the confusion as to why people enjoy reading from an e-reader.

Oh....and while I dont think paper books will ever be extinct....Jeff Bezos....the man responsible for Amazon, has stated that they sell 48 e-books for every hundred paper books and that the sales figure has tripled in the last year

 

[WDWtraveler27]

I enjoy smelling my books also hahaha.... I picked it up from another DISer and now i do it without thinking about it xD

 

[rotlex]

This is reminiscent of the argument I heard when CDs seemed to be replacing vinyl.

"I like the warmth of the sound you get from vinyl. I like the hiss and the scratchy sound."

I guess the enjoyment I get from reading is my immersion in the story. If the story is good....all other details disappear. The vehicle is unimportant.

I've also explained before that my Kindle allows me to carry 100s of "real books" with me at any time. This makes traveling with books exponentially easier.

I can shop for and purchase books at any hour of the day or night from anyplace with a cell signal and have my book in less than 30 seconds.

I can make virtually any book a "large print" book.

I can fit an entire library into a 10 ounce device which fits in a pocket

I can hold any book, regardless of size or length, in one hand and turn pages with my thumb, all while laying in any position in bed.

My Kindle and my Kindle iPhone app talk to each other. I can read from my Kindle at home and the later in the day, while I'm standing in line at the grocery store continue reading on my iPhone and my iPhone app asks me if I want to jump to the fathest page read on my Kindle. It works in the other direction as well. I find these two devices have increased the amount of time I spend reading. I've never carried the book I was reading to the grocery store.

Books for my Kindle are almost always cheaper than "real" books. Most are $9.99......even the most current best seller.

I hope this eases some of the confusion as to why people enjoy reading from an e-reader.

Oh....and while I dont think paper books will ever be extinct....Jeff Bezos....the man responsible for Amazon, has stated that they sell 48 e-books for every hundred paper books and that the sales figure has tripled in the last year

Oh, I can see the draw, and I guess saying I "don't understand it", might be a little off. You have to bare with me though, I still miss vinyl records, LOL. (Actually, I miss the album artwork, especially the big double ones like The Wall, more than anything).

I'm sure one of these days I'll enjoy "e-reading" but for now, gotta stick with that look, touch and feel!

 

[mainegal]

I think electronic books are great for all the reasons Kevin listed.

As for the smell of books, I am not thrilled. For me, books that smell are likely to be musty from damp, old places. Next step is moldy books. Yuck!

 

[tlcoke]

The smell of the books & magazines is from the Inks & Varnishes used in the printing of the book or magazine. I get to smell that smell all day long, since I work in a print shop, so I don't notice it as much as people not around it would.

 

[Becx N Gav]

Hi my name is Becky and I am a book/magazine smeller

I just think they smell nice and as Julie said at least it's not glue we're sniffing

 

[DSNY4ever]

I love the smell of books too! I have never tried a kindle, so I don't know if I would like it of not, but I couldn't imagine books ever being out of print - that would be a shocking day when school systems nationwide could afford for students to read books electronically.

 

[Sugardimples]

I think it's inevitable that all will be digital at some point in the future. I work in printing and am watching this transition take place in every part of the industry.

The same way iTunes has taken over the audio world, digital publishing will take over the visual work. I do think that "real" books will become extinct. Hold onto a few so that you can show your grandchildren what they were like.

 

[dalt01]

i sorta had the same issue.........i was smelling my neighbors.....then the police came and well.................................

 

[CdnCarrie]

I would never pay for something I could get for free at the public library. I'm an avid reader and there is no way I could afford to pay for the number of books I read a year.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I would never pay for something I could get for free at the public library.

The library's books may smell good, but they offer very few large print books.

The Kindle makes everything I want to read large print.

I wouldnt be able to read if I didnt buy the Kindle.

 

[mainegal]

I would never pay for something I could get for free at the public library. I'm an avid reader and there is no way I could afford to pay for the number of books I read a year.

You bet!
Support your local public library!!!

I know there are some good reasons to to so, but for th emost part,
I can't believe that people actually BUY books and movies!

 

[alebisi]

I must say I go for both of them ( I love to read), I can understand Kevin's point and other posters different points of view. I love having a book to read and go through the pages, smelling it, etc. But I must say I also like the idea of having something that has a minimal weight and can store lots of books, I think also that this helps to cutting less trees for paper. I do both: I buy books at the store and use also my public library. I think a kindle will be great specially when I travel or go to university (I would love to have that device for the hundreds of books I have to carry each day, it will be great if this device start selling text books for students!!) and is also great for the ones that has eye problems and big fonts are great for them.

 

[BeamsofLight]

You bet!
Support your local public library!!!

I know there are some good reasons to to so, but for th emost part,
I can't believe that people actually BUY books and movies!

I would love to use the local library. If it had hours I could ever get to it while it was open, that is.

 

[wishspirit]

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to kindle vs. paper book. I would like to have/ try both!

I like the smell if books too, I can spend ages in my university library smelling the old periodicals! Mmmm a good 50 years old!!

I tend to only smell the ones I need to use, otherwise I would just be weird!