It turns out there's a scientific explanation for that used bookstore smell. The answer comes from the book Perfumes: The Guide (via the Paper Cuts blog).Authors Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez say, "Lignin, the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit, is a polymer made up of units that are closely related … Continue reading Old Book Smell
real world
Dark Chocolate Satanic Mills
McSweeneys has unearthed some little-known ad copy which the noted horror writer HP Lovecraft wrote during his tenure as a copywriter for the treasured Whitman's Sampler. Here's a... well, a sample:Coconut Creme SwirlThey say that the Coconut Creme Swirl sleeps. But if the dread Coconut Creme Swirl slumbers, surely it must also dream. It is … Continue reading Dark Chocolate Satanic Mills
The Secret Is (Coming) Out
Bob Woodward's fourth book about the Bush administration will be released September 8. The title was a big secret; Simon & Schuster's own website still lists the book as only " Untitled on Bush, Volume IV" as I write this. But now we know the name: The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008.The … Continue reading The Secret Is (Coming) Out
Musings from Magers and Quinn 