4.7
History 
Schedule 
Booksellers since 1925
Alibri Bookstore
(formerly Herder Bookstore)
Sant Jordi Bookstall Herder Bookstore. 1970s
© Verlag Herder GmbH.
© Verlag Herder GmbH.
© Verlag Herder GmbH.
La Vanguardia, Sunday, April 22, 1945
Herder Bookstore Facade. 1965
Herder Bookstore Interior. 1965
Alibri Bookstore Facade (Formerly Herder). 2023
Alibri Bookstore Interior (Formerly Herder). 2022It is not mentioned in any travel book, but the journey of thousands of books has at some point paused on the shelves of Alibri. Nor is it found in any biography, but surely the life of a reader was forever changed by a book purchased at Alibri. A bookstore is always anonymous to the book and a temporary station for the reader, but for 100 years, Alibri, and when we say Alibri, we also mean HERDER, has represented that discreet yet essential part of literature: the hands of a bookseller handing over a book.
In November 1925, while in Barcelona, Antonio Schaedel, a distinguished alumnus of the Herder Institute in Freiburg, was opening the shutters of a shop on Balmes Street for the first time, in Stockholm, George Bernard Shaw was being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The alliance between Herder, Barcelona, and books had just been born.
"...In November 1925, while in Barcelona Antonio Schaedel, a distinguished alumnus of the Herder Institute in Freiburg,..."
© Verlag Herder GmbH.This city was chosen to open its bookstore in Spain because they understood it was the most cosmopolitan and European in the country, with great intellectual curiosity and a dynamic spiritual environment. It was the perfect setting for the bookstore’s initial literary offerings, which included religious books, educational materials, and numerous works in Latin.
The bookstore had to grow during its early years in an international context marked by the economic crisis of 1929. Importing books was highly complex, and it wasn’t until the 1930s that Antonio Valtl joined the bookstore. Along with Leo Fetscher, both also from Freiburg, they devised a reorganization plan, expanding into universities, schools, new national and international fiction publishers, magazines, scientific works, and children's literature. By 1935, Herder Bookstore had already become a solid cultural reference point in the city.
During the Spanish Civil War, Leo Fetscher remained in charge of the bookstore until he was forced to return to Germany after it was collectivized by the Republican side and renamed "La Internacional." Months earlier, the Herder booksellers had managed to hide the most valuable books in an apartment in the city, but shortly before the war ended, that secret location was discovered, and all its contents were destroyed in paper mills.
During the dictatorship, Leo Fetscher returned to the bookstore, and after assessing its ruined financial state after the war, Herder decided on the total liquidation of the business. However, Leo Fetscher and Antonio Valt’s determination to continue their bookselling vocation led them to propose the purchase of the bookstore, which was finalized in the spring of 1940. Another Herder bookstore rose from the ashes.
© Verlag Herder GmbH.
© Verlag Herder GmbH.But a new problem would soon arise. After the end of World War II in 1945, the business was blocked, and the bookstore was put up for public auction in 1948. Once again, Valtl and Fetscher had to face a challenge and presented themselves as preferred bidders, successfully reclaiming ownership of the bookstore.
El desarrollo y expansión de la Editorial Herder de Barcelona, fundada por el propio Antonio Valtl, sirvió para conformar la estructura básica de lo que sería una modernizada Librería Herder, que bien entrados los años 50 ya se consolidaba como un espacio imprescindible para el libro científico-universitario internacional. No en vano, en 1941 fue distinguida con el título de “Librería Universitaria” como reconocimiento a la calidad de su fondo editorial al servicio de l mundo de la cultura y la docencia.
A new change came in 1971 when, after 23 years leading the bookstore, Leo Fetscher handed over the reins to Herman Nahm, who had previously managed the Herder Publishing House in Buenos Aires. A major renovation of the facilities took place, expanding the exhibition and sales space. This transformation was completed in 1987 when an adjacent premises was incorporated into the bookstore, establishing the language department, which would become one of the store’s most emblematic sections.
By the late 1980s, new computer systems were introduced into daily management, including a proprietary management program and a website. In the 1990s, as the digital system became essential for the company’s efficiency, Alibri Informática was founded, a company responsible for the development and maintenance of the bookstore’s IT tools, resources, and communications.
"...A new change came in 1971, when after 23 years leading the bookstore, Leo Fetscher handed over the reins to Herman Nahm..."
Herder Bookstore Facade. 1965In February 1999, a new department was created to catalog the purchases of Catalan universities and other institutions; a service that emerged as a solution to growing demand and was aimed at their libraries.
However, the most significant event of 1999 was the bookstore’s name change. As of March 1 of that year, it was renamed Alibri Llibreria instead of Librería Herder. This transformation also brought a new leadership team, headed by Alejandro López and Javier Neira. These were years in which the bookstore definitively adapted to the new digital demands of commerce and management.
The connection with Barcelona’s academic and intellectual circles grew stronger: new relationships were built with universities and libraries, booksellers became highly skilled professionals, and they became key advisors with essential knowledge of an increasingly vast publishing landscape. Additionally, literary events became a regular feature of the bookstore, and the weekly schedule filled the event hall with some of the most prominent authors of the time.
However, after years of financial struggles, the lasting effects of the 2020 pandemic, and the bookstore owner’s desire to pass the baton, in October 2022, Don Andrés Valtl decided to step down and announced the definitive closure of the bookstore. Alibri, and when we say Alibri, we mean Herder, was destined to close its doors 98 years after opening for the first time.
Alibri Bookstore Interior (Formerly Herder). 2022
Alibri Bookstore Facade (Formerly Herder). 2023But all great stories have unexpected twists. In November 2022, when it seemed that Alibri’s story was coming to an end, a new chapter began with the arrival of Bookish, which, faced with the imminent closure of the bookstore, decided to embrace its legacy and give it a new life.
Thus, an alliance between tradition and innovation was born—between the solidity of a space with nearly a century of history and the fresh, creative drive of a young brand. Since then, Alibri has become more than just a bookstore: it has transformed into a meeting place for a constantly growing community of readers. A place where the literary experience is lived in an integral way, from buying a book to meeting authors, literary subscription boxes, online commerce, and an app. An ecosystem designed to enrich every stage of the reader’s journey.
In 2025, Alibri celebrates its centenary, marking a century of passion for books and for those who love them. A century of history that continues to be written.
