Famed for its narrow streets, Gothic cathedral and medieval pubs, York has long been a strong draw for tourists. But with the publication of a new scratch-and-sniff guide to city, the tourist board is hoping its smells will prove just as alluring.

Launched today, featuring 12 scents associated with the city's iconic sights and surroundings, Smell York is the UK's first scented guidebook.

Among the aromas contained within its pages is the smell of York's antiquities – "a musty infusion of leather, old books, gold, silver, wood and dust"; the city's Railway heritage – "a nostalgic infusion of coal, steam, engine oil and iron"; and rural Yorkshire – "the scent of fresh wild heather as it grows on the moors".

However, not all the smells are quite so pleasant. The book also contains the stench of a ghost, which, according to a local expert, resembles rotten eggs.

The olfactory guidebook was produced with a team of scent "engineers" who analysed a range of smells associated with the city before recreating them in a laboratory. The smells were then turned into a printing varnish, which was applied to the photographs in the pages and releases the aroma when scratched.

A limited run of the guidebook will be available for free from Visit York (1 Museum Street) on a first come first served basis, but may be produced in larger quantities if successful.

It's not the first time a scratch-and-sniff guide has been created to promote a city. In 2011 a scented guide to New York, entitled PHEW York, was produced, containing smells ranging from hot dogs and pizza to garbage and sewer steam.