For The Love Of Rhinoceros And Stag Beetles: Third Edition

Ratmosphere

Ratmosphere

Moderator
Moderator
Bought this from Taiwan. First off, the book STINKS like moth balls or some preservative when I got it. Made the read not enjoyable. Not sure if all of them are like this.

There are numerous typos in this book. If you have a lot of experience already I do not recommend this book. However, it’s a great book for the first timer just jumping into the hobby. Also great for people who want to know more on many species of beetles. Includes a very insightful chapter of Goliathus.

The different species in this book are described in detail along with great pictures. 

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If you want to try and get rid of the weird stink, try putting it in a tub with strong-smelling teabags. This is less effective on glossy paper. I find that baking soda also works excellent, but some don't want powder on their books and if it gets damp at all, you're in trouble. In living with smokers, I've had to get rid of the stink on all my old comics and these two methods made it bearable for me to read some of my old books again without headaches. Some prints also just use ink that stinks like a chemical and sometimes you just can't remove that, only cover it with something. An extreme method is to fan the pages and LIGHTLY spray a weak mix of white vinegar and water on it and quickly blow-dry it with a handheld hair drier. Having an extra pair of hands to fan the pages really helps, but over-doing it will wrinkle your pages. Best to do it in waves and let it completely dry- sorry that was a lot but I know how frustrating it is to have stinky books.

There's also the book-steaming method that libraries use, but I doubt you want to go through the trouble of building a tub like that for scent removal. I think that's only for smoke damage.

 
Most of the rather expensive books I've ever bought that were made with good quality inks / paper (including FTLORASB 3rdEd) do have a noticeable smell.  I'm confident that the "aroma" isn't actually harmful - certainly, it can't be compared to "new car" or "new carpet" smell, which really can be really unbearable to those with chemical sensitivities.

I have books that I bought new over 30 years ago, and they still have their own unique, individual odors - I could easily identify some of them just by their odor alone.  Anyway - one thing you might try that actually works to pull the smell out of many books, is to seal the book up airtight in a plastic bag with a bunch of fresh, crumpled newspaper.  Somehow, when sealed in an airtight situation, the odor from the book gets absorbed into the newspaper.  You may have to change out the newspaper every few weeks for a while to get the best results, until the odor of the book is either greatly reduced or eliminated.  With any luck, this method will work for you.

 
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