Yes, each page is a little historian. A rough, unbleached sheet almost always points to an older, hand‑pressed book, while the faint crinkle suggests it’s been turned over many times. The slight metallic tang in some ink can tell you whether it was printed in the early twentieth century or earlier, when iron gall was common. Even a light dusting of old glue on the spine hints at a restoration. So the texture and scent, in quiet whispers, reveal a book’s life and the hands that have held it before you.