There were thousands of brown books in leather bindings, some chained to the book-shelves and others propped against each other as if they had had too much to drink and did not really trust themselves. These gave out a smell of must and solid brownness which was most secure.

T.h. White
About This Quote

You can’t judge a book by its cover. In this quote from J. D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey, the main character is talking about getting to know someone.

He has found a book and is questioning its meaning: “There was something about the way it smelled. Sort of like the smell of a book you might find in a used-book store, or maybe in some old room in somebody’s house. It had an aroma of old ink and paper and musty bindings and dust and time, but it wasn’t unpleasant, like all that stuff doesn’t always have to be pleasant all the time.”

Source: The Once And Future King

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