One of my favorite Ray Bradbury quotes is: "There are two perfumes to a book. If a book is new, it smells great. If a book is old, it smells even better. It smells like ancient Egypt. A book has got to smell."
Today's Blondie cartoon, which can be accessed by the link below, made me think of that quote:
I had been looking for some time for a scarce 1941 novel, CONVENIENT SEASON, by actor turned author David Manners (he appeared in the Universal horror classics DRACULA, THE MUMMY and THE BLACK CAT back in the 1930's before retiring from films). The book was never re-printed. I finally found an ex-library, re-bound copy on ABE for only a few dollars. Since I wanted to read the book and was not seeking a collectable copy, I was fine with the not-so-great condition. When the book arrived, I noted from the circulation card in the pocket (remember those?) that it had last been taken out by a library patron in August of 1957, and then had been withdrawn from circulation and sent to the library's basement for storage. The book was musty and dusty. In other words...it smelled wonderful!
