Libreria Bookshop
| Libreria Bookshop | |
|---|---|
 Libreria in 2025. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | 65 Hanbury Street |
| Town or city | London E1 5JL |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°31′14″N 0°04′13″W / 51.520460274142025°N 0.0701548337262378°W |
| Opened | February 2016 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | SelgasCano |
| Website | |
| libreria | |
Libreria Bookshop is an independent bookstore, in the Spitalfields area of London, England, run by the London-based co-working space Second Home.[1]
History
[edit]Located on 65 Hanbury Street, the bookstore opened in February 25, 2016 as a project by Rohan Silva and Sam Aldenton of Second Home, with former Financial Times editor Sally Davies serving as its director.[2][3]
Libreria's selection is organized not by genre and alphabet, like other bookstores, but rather by "suggestive themes designed to provoke browsers into making unexpected connections" in order to provide a sense of curation and discovery.[4] Guest curators, like Jeanette Winterson, Shami Chakrabarti, and Richard Wentworth, among many others, have helped arrange some of the bookstore's shelves.[5][6]
Design
[edit]Designed by José Selgas and Lucía Cano of SelgasCano, the bookstore's architecture, with "Mirrored walls and ceilings" and floor-to-ceiling shelves, was based on the Jorge Luis Borges story "The Library of Babel."[7][2][8] The architects wanted to use "irregular lines and reflective surfaces" to create the feeling of a labyrinth.[2] Its bookshelves were handmade from recycled wood by students attending the Slade School of Fine Art.[9] The entire bookstore is 83 square meters in total.[10]
From its very beginning, the bookstore has designated itself as a digital-free zone, prohibiting customers from using their devices while inside.[11] The New York Times stated that Librería was "Leading the rebels" with regard to such a policy soon taking hold in other London bookstores.[12] BBC called it a "sanctuary from the bombardment of the modern digital world" without veering too far into "old-school" or "Luddite" territory.[13]
In addition to selling books, the bookstore also hosts a printing press in its basement, provides a bar, and also opens itself up as a rentable venue for private events like screenings, dinners, workshops, and launches.[2][11][14]
Librería Poetry Bookshop
[edit]In 2018, Librería set up a "new poetry outpost" in collaboration with Faber & Faber at a Second Home in Holland Park.
Accolades
[edit]Libreria Bookshop has been consistently named in articles about London's bookstores.[15][16] Financial Times' readers named it one of the most brilliant bookstores in the world.[17] Condé Nast Traveller named it one of the 15 best bookshops in London.[18] Livingetc named it one of the seven best designed bookshops in London, calling it "something absolutely cinematic, mind-bending, and sci-fi-like."[19] City A.M. called it one of the five best independent bookshops in London.[20] Secret London named it in a list of London's charming bookshops.[7] Time Out named it a brilliant London bookshop.[21] Irish Independent called it "a small and beautiful alternative in a world of algorithms."[22] Lonely Planet called it one of London's coziest bookshops.[23] The Standard ironically called it "the most Instagram-friendly bookshop around" despite its no-phone policy.[24][25]
References
[edit]- ^ "London's Libreria Bookshop". COOL HUNTING®. 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ a b c d Foderi, Alessio (2021-09-18). "Libreria, London. A bookshop by Second Home, a labyrinth of books". Lampoon Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Stathaki, Ellie (2016-02-22). "Reading matter: Second Home's bookshop, Libreria, opens its doors". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Clark, Alex (2016-02-21). "Libreria bookshop: where literature and lattes don't mix". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Ashenden, Luke; Garrett, Amy (2016-03-06). "Libreria: The east London bookshop where mobile phones are banned". The Standard. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Quilty-Harper, Conrad (2016-02-22). "Libreria is your new favourite book shop". British GQ. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ a b Landon, Alex (2021-04-09). "21 Charming London Bookshops That Are Perfect For Literature Lovers". Secret London. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "SelgasCano creates concept bookstore in East London". Dezeen. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Taka, Tomo (2016-02-22). "Selgascano designs the 'no-phone' Libreria bookstore in London for Second Home". The Spaces. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "'Libreria' bookstore explores 'reading matters' with real material things designed by Selgascano". worldarchitecture.org. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ a b Landon, Alex (2018-02-20). "This East London Bookshop Is A Little Labyrinth Of Literature • Libreria". Secret London. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Banks, Grace (2016-08-09). "London Bookstores Go Rogue as No Wi-Fi Zones". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "Could this be your new favourite bookshop?". www.bbc.com. 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "Forget Waterstones – find your local independent bookshop – Eastlondonlines". www.eastlondonlines.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "The best specialist bookshops in London to explore now lockdown has lifted". www.stylist.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Calles, A. R. (2021-12-01). "Get Ready To Cozy Up In London With Its Best Bookstores". TheTravel. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Simons, Baya (2021-12-27). "The most brilliant bookshops in the world: our readers' picks". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Laws, Chloe (2020-04-01). "The 15 best bookshops in London to get lost in". CN Traveller. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Bruno, Gilda (2024-10-25). "The 7 Best London Bookshops for Design-Minded Readers — and No, It's Not Just Daunt Books!". Livingetc. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "The 5 best independent book shops in London". City AM. 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "45 Brilliant Bookshops in London". Time Out London. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "The little bookshop that could – 'it seemed to invite us in, like the whiff of warm bread might seduce you into a bakery'". www.independent.ie. 2024-10-18. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ "London's coziest bookshops to explore this winter". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Benjamin, Jess (2020-01-14). "London's independent bookshops to help you stop buying books online". The Standard. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Abrahams, Luke (2019-03-07). "London's prettiest and most Instagrammable bookshops". The Standard. Retrieved 2025-06-30.