The century-old history of overcoming of a great Barcelona bookstore

"If your partner doesn't read, leave them for Sant Jordi," says a sign, hung at the Alibri bookstore (formerly Herder), signed by laincorrecta.cat. This phrase already tells us that this establishment does not turn its back on humor, and even provocation. But at the same time, it remains a classic place: it accumulates a hundred years of history and has an immense stock of books. Initially, they were on thought, religion, psychology, for learning languages... and now they are of all kinds. For some, it continues to be the "German bookstore" in Barcelona, not only because of the numerous publications it has in that language but also because it was founded – and directed for many years – by Germans. And of course, since Germans are the kings of discipline, this has been one of the components of the establishment. All the books have been – and continue to be – very well organized, and some time ago the booksellers wore uniforms (with a smock, on which their name was written). Salespeople were only allowed to be in the bookstore to work from 9 to 11 in the morning. "Just when it struck eleven, Mr. Nahm (head of the bookstore) would come out of his office like an arrow and kick us all out, even if we hadn't finished the work," recalls Martí Romaní, former salesperson and book distributor, founder and first director of La Casa del Llibre. "All of us... except me," he clarifies: he was exempt from this rule, as he managed a special section that required time: the Penguin Bookshop, a bookstore in English (with books on all subjects, not just literary) within the bookstore.There are so many anecdotes that the bookstore has accumulated over this century! This is another one. One day a boy came in asking for the "old" booksellers. He was attended by one of those who had been working there for a long time. That boy told her that, some time ago, when he was studying at university, he had taken some books from the bookstore, which he had not been able to pay for. He simply didn't go through the checkout. He needed them for his studies but didn't have enough money. Now he had finished his degree, was working, and was coming to settle the debt.The Herder bookstore (renamed at the turn of this century as Alibri –for students and books–), has experienced –and overcome– strong storms: throughout its history it has been bought back by its owners on two occasions, but it has not lost its way.Born in an adverse context

It was November 1925 when Anton Schaedel, a German bookseller trained at the Herder Institute in Freiburg, opened the Herder bookstore in Barcelona. The project responded to the initiative of Hermann Herder, who had decided to open two bookstores in southern Europe, one in Barcelona and another in Rome. The new establishment, located on the first floor of number 22 Balmes street, was mainly dedicated to the import and sale of books in Spanish and Latin published by the historic Herder Editorial.

The bookstore is born in a time of lack of freedoms: under a dictatorship, that of Primo de Rivera. The first years, therefore, already has – and overcomes – a lot of obstacles. It grows in an adverse international context, marked by the economic crisis of '29. For Herder – and the other commercial establishments on Balmes street –, 1929 is an important year because the Sarrià Railway is buried, which until then ran in the open air along Balmes street, in front of the bookstore. Due to the numerous accidents that occurred there, this street was known as the “street of death”.In the 30s, Barcelona is buzzing with cultural activity. The bookstore participates in this vitality and specializes in the university and scientific fields. It is already more than a bookstore: it sells tickets to cultural events held in the city (even boxing matches). It is precisely in 1931, the year of the advent of the Republic, when April 23 becomes Book Day (an event created in 1926 by the writer Vicent Clavel, a Valencian residing in Barcelona). But in the 30s there is also strong tension in the streets, which leads to gun violence and violent actions. Precisely in front of the current location of the bookstore, Francesc Layret is assassinated, as he was leaving home to intercede for his colleagues Lluís Companys and Salvador Seguí, who were arrested in a state campaign against trade unionists, republicans, and nationalists.That tension in the street is the prelude to the Civil War, which means a setback for the bookstore, which is collectivized by the FAI (Iberian Anarchist Federation) and renamed La Internacional. During the war, the booksellers from Herder manage to hide the most valuable books in an apartment in the city, waiting for better times, but shortly before the end of the war, that clandestine place is discovered and the books are destroyed.During the war, as is known, the city is often bombed. On March 17, 1938, a bomb explodes a few steps from the bookstore, at the intersection of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes with Balmes street, and hits a military truck loaded with explosives stopped at a checkpoint. The explosion generates a large column of smoke visible from afar. 23 soldiers die in the truck and numerous pedestrians lose their lives. The bookstore's shop windows are destroyed.Due to debts, the Herder company of Friburg decides to close its Barcelona headquarters. They commission Leo Fetscher to liquidate the business entirely. But the bookstore will be reborn. The 20th century is also overshadowed by wars. The Spanish Civil War links with the Second World War, the outcome of which also harms the bookstore, which suffers significant losses.

Just after the war ended, in 1940, Antonio Valt and Leo Fetscher bought the bookstore and reopened it. And in 1949 the bookstore was auctioned and re-purchased by the owners. The University of Barcelona and the Herder bookstore have always kept good company. They immediately established a strong bond. Shortly after the conflict ended, in 1941, the Herder bookstore received the title of "university bookstore" from the University of Barcelona. We are still in the darkest stage of Francoism: precisely in 1941, an exhibition of German books was held at the Paranimf of the University of Barcelona, in which Nazi symbolism was omnipresent.In the 70s, the bookstore is reorganized: it changes from a pharmacy structure to a supermarket one (open access to shelves), so that the customer can pick up the books themselves and browse them. The renovation is directed by the architect Josep Ribas González (1929-2011), known mainly for being the author of the Torre Colom, located in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona, and the church of Baqueira.In 2020, the bookstore successfully overcame the setback of the coronavirus pandemic. But another, not insignificant, setback was soon to come. In 2022, with its centenary approaching, bitter news arrived: economic difficulties threatened to close its doors. Once again, the bookstore would be reborn. At the end of 2022, the book subscription company Bookish bought the bookstore, ensuring its continuity. Bookish intended to open a large bookstore in Barcelona, but when its managers learned that Alibri was on the verge of closing forever, they preferred to try their luck by preserving one. Bookish has revitalized the bookstore, strengthened its cultural programming, and opened it up to new audiences.

Some of the best-selling books

During the first decades of the bookstore's operation, publications on Catholicism accounted for a significant portion of sales. They were the DNA of the establishment. You could find books in the style of how a Catholic woman should be, and you can imagine that it suggested she should be a very submissive woman. Thousands of religious prints were also published and sold (for first communion, for example). But over the years, the bookstore began to incorporate religious publications of diverse, non-doctrinal trends. Herder made a commitment to ecumenism. One of the bestsellers was The Dutch Catechism. The Vatican authorized its publication, despite some voices against it, because it was not orthodox. With the boom in psychoanalysis, the book The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm sold in large quantities.Herder brought modernity to this country in the 60s and 70s. "I started teaching at the University of Barcelona in 1968, a time of political, social, sexual revolution... And the books that students of the famous May 68 in Paris were reading were by three authors: Marx, Freud, and Saussure. We found them all at Herder," explains Sebastià Serrano, emeritus professor of linguistics at the UB. Furthermore, the Herder bookstore (Alibri) has been, and is, one of the main points of sale for Herder Editorial, based in Barcelona.