On: Why do old books smell so good?

[6stringmerc]

Why really really old books smell so bad:

In the scribe days in England when literacy was exclusive and the texts and manuscripts were intricate and long-term artistic endeavors…

…the most frequent sealant used was sheep urine. IIRC. Basically there’s a LOT of reasons to wear gloves and a mask in the kind of places where they are stored for longevity.

Source: Early-Middle English course taught by an Oxford Man.

[TheAceOfHearts → 6stringmerc]

AFAIK, this claim of requiring gloves when handling old and rare books is an outdated misconception [0] [1].

[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/09/arts/rare-books-white-glo...

[1] https://ask.loc.gov/preservation/faq/337286

[6stringmerc → TheAceOfHearts]

I’m not saying anything is mandatory and tradition in the English scholarship field is…curious.

Source: inducted to Sigma Tau Delta last semester I think to cover their ass if I do something great eventually. The only STD i knowingly have.