Too quaint novel reference (9)
I believe the answer is:
quotation
'reference' is the definition.
('quotation' can be a synonym of 'reference')
'too quaint novel' is the wordplay.
'novel' indicates an anagram.
'too'+'quaint'='tooquaint'
'tooquaint' with letters rearranged gives 'QUOTATION'.
(Other definitions for quotation that I've seen before include "Excerpt" , "Commercial estimate of costs" , "Passage, from a book say" , "Tender" , "showing price" .)