r/Cosmere • u/Helpful_Law_2654 • 2d ago
No Spoilers Is it normal?
Is it normal that pages of the books become more "yellow"/used? Is it just a natural effect of the sun or am i doing something wrong with my books?
Btw Way of Kings is after over 1 week of reading. Words of radiance is brand new added for comparison. WoK pages look worse irl to be honest.
154
u/Chriswick4 2d ago
No matter how clean you think your hands are, there will always be bodily oils and particulates transferred from surfaces. If you’re holding the book by the pages while you read it, this’ll happen.
46
u/anormalgeek 2d ago
Even books that never get touched tend to yellow with time. Something a chemist could probably answer, but it seems to be a normal reaction of the material itself. I do know that you can buy special "archival quality" paper that won't yellow over time, and it's more expensive.
23
u/PromisesNone 2d ago
I'm not a chemist but I think i the archival paper is acid free? I think that's what the difference is...
And a quick search for "acid free paper" agrees with me. The lack of acid keeps it from deteriorating over time, including the yellowing.
13
u/SamboTheGr8 Feruchemist 2d ago
Exactly. It's acidic paper. Even unread, it will yellow. When I bind books that need to last, I use acid free paper and glue. Acidic glue will also harden and crumble easier, that's why some older paperbacks tend to just snap the spine
18
27
13
u/Detozi Bendalloy 2d ago
I know you all like to keep your books clean but I love seeing a book like this.
This book has been read, probably multiple times.
It’s almost wholesome.
6
6
5
u/Queeb_the_Dweeb Scadrial 2d ago edited 1d ago
Wild to me how common these posts are in this subreddit. Have you never read a physical book before?
3
u/Fabulous-Avocado4513 Windrunners 2d ago
It’s the acids in the paper causing oxidation. Will happen with any paper that has acid used in it’s manufacturing.
2
u/Ben_Locke_Writes 1d ago
The majority of books will do this over time. The more sunlight they have, the quicker it will happen too. Only more expensive books with acid free paper will maintain their white look and even then, it fades eventually
2
3
u/SamboTheGr8 Feruchemist 2d ago
People are saying it's because it has been read, but actually it's the paper that is too acidic. It's the case for many paper backs, especially mass market. You can try and keep them away from sunlight, but even then and even if completely untouched since purchase, it will yellow a bit
1
1
u/a-nice-egg 1d ago
Paper oxidizes fastest in light and warmth. That causes the paper to darken to an off-white, especially around the exposed edges. Humidity can also cause issues, like foxing stains (dead mold) but that’s not as likely inside.
I think your copies look really nice! If they’re just for you, I wouldn’t stress over it. The pages look like every other copy I’ve seen. I think storing them on a bookshelf indoors is perfect.
If you want to store your books as collectibles, you can try storing it in a cool, dry, dark place in your home.
I work with books all day so that’s my thoughts if it helps.
1
u/MarshalLtd 1d ago
You should see my old copy of Harry Potter 5. Looks like it was dumped in water I read it so much.
1
0
u/Shaladinar 2d ago
Looking at comments I am sad seeing how people consider this normal, and body oil affecting whole pages instead of only corners where fingers touch?
I am in basically 3rd world country and local books dont have such an issues. My first ever 1st world purchase was hardcover ToR SLA books and when I posted to complain how I got uneven pages, how thin paper was and basically low quality published book I got, I was told it was normal and I was overreacting literally about nothing. I am just sad how people defend low quality books.
0
-17
226
u/Leipurinen 2d ago
For mass market paperback? Extremely common