Unpleasant surprise in a book

[Penfeather]

Anyone else here have an "unpleasant surprise in a book" story to share?

Yes! A used book I ordered online arrived reeking of old cigarette smoke. The odor was so strong I could not read the book without feeling asthmatic. I sent an email to the bookseller, who was very apologetic and refunded my money without being asked. She said she acquires her books from many sources. She suggested several ways to try to remove the smell, including burying the book in clean cat litter! In the end I lightly spritzed the book inside and out with a solution of mint and lemon extracts, and left it out in the sun for several days. This greatly reduced the odor, at least enough to make reading the book tolerable. Although now it sort of smells like menthol cigarettes. Oh well! Caveat emptor.