While being well aware of the unstoppable march of technology and perfectly capable of acknowledging the convenience of e-books (grudgingly? Us? Never), there’s just something about books. Books with their lovely pages and covers and feel.

And smells, actually. Whether that sparkling fresh-from-the-bookshop newness or the delightfully musty scent that seems to have bottled the word ‘yellowing’, we cannot resist.

Subsequently, we often unwittingly find ourselves falling victim to tsundoku (yep, there’s a term for people like us) but if you’re the same, don’t worry – there’s been actual research on just why we can’t get enough of old books in particular.

And it might be because the smell reminds us of something else – arguably something equally close to our hearts.

A study from University College London’s Institute for Sustainable Heritage, published earlier this year in journal Heritage Science, detailed an experiment in which 79 visitors to a museum and art gallery were asked about their feelings on various smells without knowing what they were, such as a French novel from 1928, coal fire, dirty linen and even HP sauce.

Participants then filled out a survey which asked them to describe each smell – still in the dark about what they were. The most-cited scent for the book essence was chocolate, followed by coffee.

Scientists reveal why we really love the smell of old books