We've all smelt an old book smell at some point of our lives, be it in our school's musky library or on your grandparent's bookshelf. It's not necessarily a bad smell, but have you ever wondered why they smell so distinctly?
Compound Interest created a chart that depicts what causes both the old smell and the new smell of books. According to the company, the smell of new books is primarily caused by three main sources: the paper, the inks used to print the book and the adhesives used for the book's bindings.
As for older books, they emit the smells that come from the gradual breakdown of the cellulose and lignin in the lead. The process can create numerous compounds and individual odors. Oddly enough, books are like snowflakes in the sense that no two books smell the same.
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