/lit/ - Literature

>>4221459
Some books from used bookstores have the stench of their last owners.

>>4220938
OP, I buy used books all the time and won't read them if they smell. My system usually goes like this:

1) Hairdryer on the stickers so they come off clean
2) Goo gone to remove any other sticky residue—gives a lemony smell
3) Windex-esque glass cleaner on paper towel, clean the front and back cover and spine.
4) With the book closed, rub the covers, spine and outside pages with a dryer sheet
5) Rub inside random pages with the dryer sheet
6) Sit in the sun for an hour or so
7) If really bad, put the book in a zip lock bag with some coffee grounds.

I've gotten rid of a book's cigarette smell like this, but sometimes the smell is so embedded that you'd be better of chunking it.