It's called "Oxbridge"

I love the smell of books. love Love LOVE. I love walking into a bookstore (especially used book stores) and inhaling that sweet, sweet smell of old pages and non-biodegradable ink. It's the best smell in the world.

Well, I've always said that if someone were to bottle that smell, and then a man would wear that cologne, I don't care if he has a face like a mailbox, I'd be all over him. Well, it's happened (but not the all-over part).

In a particular class, I sit next to this particular guy. He does not have a face like a mailbox. He actually has a very nice face. But the other day, I turned in his direction and BLAM! hit in the face with that wonderful old-books smell. Whoa. I don't know why (or how) he smells like old books, but I am now even more attracted to him. But that's not the point. The point is I was right. A cologne that smells like old books is the key to my heart, or at least, to my attention.

The Special Collections

Today, for class, I went down to Special Collections. I love that place. It's heaven on earth. I love having an excuse to go down there with all those old books. I guess its the antiquarian in me. But, really, aren't all humanities/English people just closet antiquarians in some way?



But I got to see and handle first editions of Ivanhoe, Waverly, and Emma. Cool, huh? Each had their own thing that touched the geek within. With Ivanhoe, it was owned by a friend of Sir Walter Scott's, so I like to imagine that it was a gift. Scott might have touched it. Yeah, I know.



With Waverly, it exuded the strongest old book smell as soon as I opened it. I don't know what it is about the smell of books, and especially old ones, that I find so....something. I can't explain. If someone were to bottle that smell, I'd buy it. And love it. But that book smelled GREAT.



Seeing a first edition Emma was nice because Emma was the first book I read of Jane Austen's. It was probably the first book I had read of that time period. I loved that book (and still do--I've worn out at least 2 paperback copies). In a way, Emma was the foot in the door of British Romanticism.

So, now my hands have that dusty feeling from touching old books. It's delightful.