Experiments have been carried out in order to assess the applicability of chemiluminescence analysis to compare the oxidative stability of different papers. The chemiluminescence of two cotton cellulose papers and two lignin-free, alkaline wood pulp papers was measured non-isothermally under nitrogen and isothermally under oxygen at 120 C, 95 C, 75 C, and 55 C. The observed light emission under nitrogen is believed to originate from the decomposition of cellulose hydroperoxides already present within the paper. Iodometric determination of the relative hydroperoxide content of the test samples supported this opinion. In experiments under oxygen the chemiluminescence measured indicated a fast oxidation of paper after the admission of oxygen, which ceased after a short time. This initial luminescence pulse may be attributed to the presence of easily oxidizable sites in the cellulose polymer. The possibility of evaluating the amount of those easily oxidizable sites within the paper by chemiluminescence analysis would provide an estimate of the potential instability of paper to oxidation and, ultimately, to degradation. The first attempts to characterize the oxidative stability of paper are presented, and alternatives for future experiments are discussed. -- SCMRE