Finding old books is fun experience

Opening basement box like reuniting with old friends

Finding old books gives me the greatest sense of satisfaction. The pages are often brittle and delicate, the smell is heavenly, and sometimes, they conjure up the best memories.

I was recently in Ohio, and my mom asked me to go through the last of my belongings that were still in her house. I wandered down into the basement and found three old bins that were likely packed up when I left for college.

I salvaged a handful of photos from the first bin, and the second bin was destined for a garage sale.

But that final bin? It was a treasure trove of delightful books! Some were classics from my high school English classes, while others were fun gifts from family and friends. Finding the box was like reuniting with old friends.

I remember reading “The Grapes of Wrath” in high school — and again on four different occasions in college. By then end of my educational career, I was so sick of that book I could hardly stand it. Yet somehow, it found its way into that box.

Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening,” even a collection of Ibsen works all lurked in the box, all holdovers from high school. I even found two interesting textbooks — my French 101 book and my dad’s high school entry-level French book. Some came back to Yuma with me, others moved into the giveaway pile.

But each book, whether or not it was kept, had a definite pull. I remember each teacher who helped me understand these books and why the stories were important works of literature.

As I sat in the basement opening each book, over and over again, I thought about how awesome they smelled — such a difference from newly purchased books.

But what is it that makes an old book smell so amazing?

Popular Science published an article this week on a study that found people associated the smell with coffee and chocolate — two of my personal favorites. The study notes that smell can trigger old memories that may not be triggered otherwise. And books “often release small amounts of volatile organic compounds into the air. Our noses pick up those chemical signatures and our brains interpret them as smells.”

Opening those old fragrant books, after 20 years in a basement, certainly triggered more than a few memories for me! I didn’t think of coffee or chocolate, but it was a fun experience all the same.

What do you love about old books, readers? Which ones are your favorites? Share your thoughts on www.YumaSun.com, or send in a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun. com.