bibliosmia means the pleasant smell and aroma of a new (or any) book, caused by the gradual chemical breakdown of the compounds used within the paper. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 95 out of 100.
Why “bibliosmia” is a great word
BIBLIOSMIA — [Noun] The characteristic scent of a book, arising from the chemical decomposition of paper, ink, and binding materials. From biblio- ("book") + -osmia ("smell"). Coined on 24 February 2014 by English lecturer and author Oliver Tearle. Unlike bibliophilia, which denotes a passion for books' content or form, or mustiness, which implies a damp, decaying staleness, bibliosmia isolates the specific, cherished olfactory signature of the physical object. It is the sharp, chemical tang of a freshly cut page, the warm, vanillin-tinged breath of an attic tome, and the faint, woody perfume of a leather binding—a fleeting sensory archive of the object's quiet return to dust.
Etymology
From biblio- (“book”) + -osmia (“smell”). Coined on 24 February 2014 by English lecturer and author Oliver Tearle in a now-deleted tweet, originally as “the act of smelling books”.
noun
- The pleasant smell and aroma of a new (or any) book, caused by the gradual chemical breakdown of the compounds used within the paper.“He [Evan Friss] approvingly considers the Instagram wall at Books Are Magic, the novelist Emma Straub’s shop in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, and less so the eponymous bibliosmia fragrance bottled by Powell’s, the Portland, Ore., landmark.”