TRACING THE OLD BOOKS’ FRAGRANCE

Despite the popularity of ebooks (wattpad for example) or digital formats of paper books, there are still readers who would rather stick to hard copies of novels and other reading materials. And while looking at texts on your iPads or smartphones has its benefits, one thing it can’t give bibliophiles is the smell when you open a printed book especially an old, yellowish one; a scent so distinct a perfume company decided to capture it in a perfume. So why do old books give off that aroma described by chemists as “a combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness”?

Paper books, especially older ones, contain cellulose, lignin, and organic chemicals, which come from trees, the origin of papers. As recently revealed by British chemist and teacher Andy Brunning, these chemicals, as years pass, start to break down as a result of exposure to light, heat, moisture, and each other releasing volatile organic compounds or chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature. These compounds, along with other alcohols, then produce “a sweet smell with notes of vanilla flowers and almonds.” This smell is what many book lovers- and sniffers-refer to as the old-book scent. Besides the degradation of compounds, other factors that contribute to that old-book smell are the type of paper, ink, and binding adhesive used.

So what are these compounds that contribute to the unique odor that fills the bookshelves, libraries, and your favorite bargain bookstores? These are benzaldehyde, which is responsible for that scent similar to almond; vanillin, for that vanilla fragrance; and hexanol, which gives floral aroma.

Of course, what may smell pleasant to certain fans of the printed word may be foul to some. And then there are others who prefer the scent of new, fresh-off-the-bookstore books. But that is for another story.