Musty book-How to remove

If it's mold, I don't have a solution for you. Let it dry (put some other books ontop so it does not warp), see what happens. But in general, I've found that a lot of the smell comes from dust that's on the old books from just sitting on the shelves for a long time. So, the first thing I do to an antique or even just an older book when I bring it in - I vacuum it. You got to be really careful doing it though - very easy to damage a book if you just take a vacuum hose to it. I use a small brush attachment that helps lifting the dust and (probably even more importantly) limits the cross-section so the suction is not as great. Most of the dust is on the head - the top edge - 'cause books stand upright most of their lifetime. For some reason I also find a lot of dust and dirt between the end sheets (first page behind the front cover or one before the back cover). There is usually considerable amount behind the spine if it's not a perfect bound (as in paperback) book. But look around the particular one you got - there could be some other places you may want to pay close attention to, depending on how the book was stored.

Good luck!

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Many thanks for your very full instructions. No there is no mould and the book isn't wet at all- only a musty smell I will try your remedy and keep my fingers crossed! Kind regards Blair

Many thanks for your help Blair