Yes, as strong odors can be a big trigger for allergies, the seller definitely should have mentioned the odor. Unfortunately, some people can't tell if an item has an odor, though, because they are used to the smell. What year was the book published? Unless it was a really old book (like, over 75 years old), it shouldn't have had an inherent smell. Usually a musty smell indicates that someone was not storing the book properly and it was exposed to too much humidity. "Old Book Smell" usually actually smells like vanilla and is quite distinct from a "musty" smell.