Its the smell!!

[Darrin Drader]

Odd, I was going to comment on that thread, and I had already mentioned the smell, but then decided to trash my comments since I didn't actually arrive at a pro- or con- decision. But yeah, add me to the group of weirdos who love the smell of the old AD&D books. And as sad as this sounds, I actually opened up my DMG today to see if that old smell still lingered, and though the paper is just a tad more yellow than I remember, the smell remains. Aaaaah!

 

[Holy Bovine]

I love the feel of the paper and binding in my 1E books. It feels like they're built to last. Touching the paper is ... sensual.

The later generations of books seem to all have slick paper like a cheap greasy magazine.

(No sense of smell, here.)

I think that was done to render them immune to cheetos and mountain dew.

Didn't work very well!

 

[The Green Adam]

For me it was the smell of the Star Wars D6/West End Books. I think one of my original copies still have the scent is ever so faintly. Smell is a big deal with me and I can even tell you if a book was printed in Japan, Canada or the US by its smell.

AD
"Listen...do you smell something?"

 

[Orius]

This thread is just begging for a snarky comment on gamer funk.

 

[justanobody]

The "taste" isn't bad either for older books. All those snacks flavor on each page, it makes them like scratch-n-sniff books.

If you ever end up with the smell of potatoes and gravy, I would suggest a bit of time in a sealed box with some baking soda to absorb the excess odors...

 

[TarionzCousin]

Smell is a big deal with me and I can even tell you if a book was printed in Japan, Canada or the US by its smell.

Me, too!!!

Each Edition Page smells unique, with most of the odor concentrated right near the "Printed in _________" line.

 

[jdrakeh]

Everything that I buy from Noble Knight smells like a Buddhist temple, steeped in sandalwood and jasmine. That rocks.

 

[That One Guy]

Back when I played M:tG (8+ years ago?), I used to open packs and then smell the cards. I don't know if they still smell the same, but fresh Magic cards used to smell amazing to me.

Actually, having a scent linked to specific memories/feelings is quite common. I think most people do, even if they do not acknowledge it (unless they have a poor sense of smell in general).