The basement smelled like old paint and metal; glue, newsprint, vanilla, sea-kissed sweat. A sign propped up on a table upstairs had drawn me down there, looking for spoils: “Books, $1 Each.” I was in Cape Cod for the summer and 10. After some dignified begging, I was granted an advance on allowance. I selected 20 books.
It took me months to work through the haul, which included a battered-up Roald Dahl box set and an illustrated version of The Secret Garden. Each time I opened one, I was back in the basement, treasure hunting. I started to prefer old books to new, not just for the inscriptions to strangers, but for that smell. Old books turned stories into portals; until then, I hadn’t known reading could feel like time travel.
Science hasn’t cracked wormholes, but it has deconstructed the scents that make the experience of old books so appealing. Cecilia Bembibre, a lecturer at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, specializes in the preservation of historic smells and spends much of her time breaking down their particular compositions. In our digital era, old books meet her research qualifications; paper is at risk of becoming a limited-edition fragrance.
この記事は Vogue US の Summer 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Vogue US の Summer 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Nothing Like Her
Billie Eilish was adored by millions before she fully understood who she was. Now, as she sets out on tour without her family for the first time, she is finally getting to know herself.
Coming Up Rosy - The new blush isn't just for the cheek. Coco Mellors feels the flush.
If the eyes are the window to the soul, then our cheeks are the back door. What other part of the body so readily reveals our hidden emotions? Embarrassment, exuberance, delight, desire, all instantly communicated with a rush of blood. It's no wonder that blush has been a mainstay of makeup bags for decades: Ancient Egyptians used ground ochre to heighten their color; Queen Elizabeth I dabbed her cheeks with red dye and mercuric sulfide (which, combined with the vinegar and lead concoction she used to achieve her ivory pallor, is believed to have given her blood poisoning); flappers applied blush in dramatic circles to achieve a doll-like complexion, even adding it to their knees to draw attention to their shorter hemlines
Different Stages
A trio of novels spirits you far away.
The Wizard
Paul Tazewell’s costumes for the film adaptation of Wicked conjure their own kind of magic.
THE SEA, THE SEA
A story of survival on a whaling ship sets sail on Broadway. Robert Sullivan meets the crew behind the rousing folk musical Swept Away.
STAGING A COMEBACK
Harlem's National Black Theatre has been a storied arts institution in need of support. A soaring new home is shaping its future.
Simon Says
Simon Porte Jacquemus, much like his label, resonates with the sunny, breezy French South-but behind the good life, as Nathan Heller discovers, is a laser focus and a shoulder-to-the-wheel work ethic.
MOTHER SUPERIOR
The character of Rose in Gypsy is the acting Everest for many one-name acting legends. This fall, Audra McDonald takes it on.
WALK THIS WAY
THE FASHION FOR OUR FUTURE MARCH HAD A SINGULAR PURPOSE: TO GET OUT THE VOTE.
Written in Stones (and Etched in Metal)
Three years after taking the reins at Bottega Veneta, Matthieu Blazy unveils his first fine jewelry collection.