The word is real enough. An osphresiophilia is a strong (perhaps erotic) attraction to certain smells. For Wordizens, the prefix biblio- seems to be in order. While I may sometimes pooh-pooh a word, I would never poo-poo a fellow Wordie.
My parents kept an extensive library when I was growing up. I found the smell of the older, musty, yellowed books to be the most intoxicating.
There's a company called Demeter that makes strange fragrances some might find inspired, while others might place them in the same box as mandles. They have a cologne called paperback that I found uncanny in its ability to evoke such immediate, gleeful nostalgia.
Yes, I agree. Old books are risky - sometimes they smell rather unpleasant. But you have to just bury your nose in there and take a big whiff, it's no use being tenderfooted about it. I find the thicker the book, the stronger and longer-lasting the aroma. I think I spent almost as much time sniffing my Everyman clothbound Gargantua and Pantagruel as I did reading it.
Yes, I get a different kick out of sniffing old books and when sniffing new books... (I have worked in the public library and I know how dirty books can get. Some people wipe their books with wet cloth before they read them - or give them to the hands of their children. I think it is wise sometimes.)
I generally have an ebook on the go at work - I read Gil Blad that way - but I prefer paper. I like the smell of a real book. Do you sniff your books? One thing I like about (free) ebooks is that they lower the average publication date of my reading, due to the out-of-copyright requirement.
Thanks for the inspiration. I had to download the book today, after I saw your quote from it under the word pet earlier. I need something... different than usual to read, I think.