Continuing with our posts on the bookstores we come across …, Libelle mit H&B is a high end, second hand bookstore (antique bookseller) in Basel, Switzerland. Click here to see their site.

It has a perfect location – a block from the city’s main thoroughfare –  and situated at just the bottom of the cobbled-stoned street that leads up to the boutiques on Spalenberg.

IT was looking for some old books on accordion or ballet, I vaguely recall. I was not looking at the books instead, I was admiring the interiors.

There are two rooms on the main floor at the street level. It is not a big place –  a basement, a main floor, and a first floor.

The stairs that hugs the perimeter of the space and connecting the three floors is a masterpiece – modern, minimal, functional.

The stairs allows access to literally the books on all four walls. One stretch has rather deep treads that allow a customer to remain on a stair step while browsing the books.

At the top of the stairs is a gallery that allows one to look down onto the main floor.

Another notable feature is the lighting fixture on the vertical part of the bookshelves. So minimal as it occupied little space, and functional that it provided light where it is needed.

The lighting fixtures also provided visually a vertical element in the space, contrasting the horizontal stair steps and bookshelves.

The store gave up one half of the street-facing shop window but retains the front of the first floor.

There is a small traditional library with places to sit and read as well as space to laid out maps and prints.

There were books in German, French and English, probably Italian too.

This is a version of my dream home library if I am going to have one.

Sometimes I wonder, I seem to enjoy collecting books more than reading them as there is not enough time to read them all.