"I have a magic amulet--a different world's magic than my own--which gives me the languages I do not know," he answers, patting a little pendant. And yes, Jim, the book was written by hand, with ink that was ground and mixed and made by hand, on paper that was pulped and pressed and cut by hand (okay, they probably used a blade for the cutting). There are even tiny notes in the margins here and there in a different, tidy hand.

"The smell? I did not think humans noticed smell, so much," he admits. "But yes, every book has a story for the nose as well as the eyes."