---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Books have a smell, for instance. One…"
description: "\"“Books have a smell, for instance. One that gets better—more nostalgic—as the years go by. Does this gadget of yours have a smell?” “Nope,”\" — Stephen ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/stephen-king-13_books_books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that_2072040.jpg"
---

#  Books have a smell, for instance. One that gets…

![“Books have a smell, for instance. One that gets better—more nostalgic—as the years go by. Does this gadget of yours have a smell?” “Nope,” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/stephen-king-13_books_books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that_2072040.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/stephen-king-13_books_books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that_2072040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/stephen-king-13_books_books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that_2072040.jpg)

> ““Books have a smell, for instance. One that gets better—more nostalgic—as the years go by. Does this gadget of yours have a smell?” “Nope,””

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Books evoke sensory memories that deepen with time, unlike digital devices.

**In simple terms:** Books smell, gadgets don’t.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate physical books.

Themes

nostalgia sensory literature

Mood

reflective sentimental

Type

literary observational

When to use this quote

- reading
- collecting books
- gift giving
- library curation
- bookstore browsing

Key Concepts

memory materiality digital vs analog

Questions to Reflect On

- How does scent influence your reading experience?
- Can a digital device ever replace a physical book?

A Different Perspective

Digital media cannot replicate the tactile scent experience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Better Nostalgic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-nostalgic-4004677/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-smell-232202/) [Gadget Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gadget-smell-4004675/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Smell Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell-instance-4004676/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [My grandmother had a Ph.D in library science, so I grew up in a library, and I would appreciate those books and the smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/my-grandmother-had-a-ph-d-in-library-science-so-i-grew-up-in-a/)

[Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/)

> [Giles: Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower, or a a whiff of smoke can bring up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/giles-smell-is-the-most-powerful-trigger-to-the-memory-there-is-a/)

[Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/)

> [I still love the book-ness of books, the smell of books: I am a book fetishist—books to me are the coolest and sexiest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-still-love-the-book-ness-of-books-the-smell-of-books-i-am-a-book/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“...it was my father who had taught me to love books for themselves, the smell of the vellum and paper, the rare authority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-o-melveny/it-was-my-father-who-had-taught-me-to-love-books-for-themselves-the/)

[Regina O'Melveny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-o-melveny/)

> [“Old Books Smell Of: A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying muskiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chemists-of-the-university-college-london/old-books-smell-of-a-combination-of-grassy-notes-with-a-tang-of-acids/)

[Chemists of the University College London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chemists-of-the-university-college-london/)

> [“Banned books always smell suspicious”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-mars/banned-books-always-smell-suspicious/)

[Juan Marsé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-mars/)

> [“The smell of books is the smell of us all coming together to document, entertain, and explain things for ourselves now and forever. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-pasricha/the-smell-of-books-is-the-smell-of-us-all-coming-together-to-document/)

[Neil Pasricha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-pasricha/)

> [“I did not know people your age still read books,' Penumbra says. He raises an eyebrow. 'I was under the impression they read everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-read-books-penumbra-says-he/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [So there you have it, a lifetime of first smelling the books, they all smell wonderful, reading the books, loving the books, and remembering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/so-there-you-have-it-a-lifetime-of-first-smelling-the-books-they-all/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-closed-my-eyes-and-took-a-deep/)

[Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/)

> [I still love books. Nothing a computer can do can compare to a book. You can't really put a book on the Internet. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-still-love-books-nothing-a-computer-can-do-can-compare-to-a-book/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“e-books "smell like burned fuel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/e-books-smell-like-burned-fuel/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Do you know that books smell like nutmeg or some spice from a foreign land? I loved to smell them when I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-know-that-books-smell-like-nutmeg-or-some-spice-from-a-foreign/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [When I open them, most of the books have the smell of an earlier time leaking out between the pages - a special odor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-open-them-most-of-the-books-have-the-smell-of-an-earlier-time/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Besides that, Sebastian liked books —all kinds. He loved fiction, non-fiction, big picture art books, the smell, the feel, and the potential to sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lane/besides-that-sebastian-liked-books-all-kinds-he-loved-fiction-non/)

[Amy Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lane/)

## More by Stephen King

> [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

[Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Books have a smell, for instance. One that gets better—more nostalgic—as the years go by. Does this gadget of yours have a smell?” “Nope,”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen King"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that-gets-better-more-nostalgic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that-gets-better-more-nostalgic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/stephen-king-13_books_books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that_2072040.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/stephen-king-13_books_books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that_2072040.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/stephen-king-13_books_books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that_2072040.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Books have a smell, for instance. One that gets better—more nostalgic—as the years go by. Does this gadget…” — Stephen King",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Stephen King",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Books have a smell, for instance....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that-gets-better-more-nostalgic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/books-have-a-smell-for-instance-one-that-gets-better-more-nostalgic/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
