Bought a 'vintage' book club collection on eBay and every page smelled like someone's basement from 1984

I spent $45 on this set of 1970s book club editions thinking I scored a deal... but when they arrived, the smell was so bad my cat refused to sit near the box. Every single book had that damp mildew stench that just won't quit, even after airing them out for a week. Now I'm out the money plus shipping to send them to a thrift store because no way can I read a book that smells like a science experiment. Has anyone else fallen for a 'vintage' book lot that turned into a regret pile?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_robin13d ago

12 packs of baking soda scattered across my coffee table later, I finally gave up on a "mint condition" 60s paperback lot that smelled exactly like a damp sock someone left in a gym bag for a decade. I actually tried the freezer trick for one of them because I read it kills mold spores, but it just came out smelling like a cold damp sock. Now that box is living in my garage with a "do not open, science hazard" sticker on it.

anna_hill13d ago

Three weeks of airing out and my 1970s sci-fi haul still smells like a wet dog that rolled in cigarette ash. I've noticed this happens way more with "vintage" books than people want to admit, everyone just focuses on the cool covers but forgets paper doesn't age gracefully if it was stored in a moldy basement.