Some weeks ago, we decided to go out and meet people from different shops in Nice to learn about how they started their projects and find some inspiration. This is how we entered Librairie L’Escurial at 29, rue Alphonse Karr – 06000 Nice.

We were captivated by the small window that allowed a glimpse of some books and a warm light. As we entered, the owner, Rodolphe, was already closing the store, but he took off his jacket again, let us look around, and welcomed us very kindly.

This is how we discovered that a few years ago, he took over with his companion this librairie from the previous owner and decided to continue its legacy.

We felt that the librairie and its owner were perfectly in harmony, somehow telling the same story and evoking the same sense of calm. Rodolphe has been passionate about books since his youth. From the very beginning, he kept his books—even though they were livres de poche with no economic value—because of his deep affection for them and the value that he and his reading gave to them.

This also explains why he believes that this collection of books is not only a way to connect us with the past, to understand how these authors lived, to learn a little more about their personal lives, and to discover new writings that perhaps never came to light, but also why the book itself holds value as an object—if it can even be called an like this.

He shared with us as well his affection for correspondance that remain in letters and notes that where never published, but is a way to preserve history and helps us understand how they lived at that time.

A special thanks to Rodolphe for his welcome and for taking the time to share his passion and knowledge with us. He runs this librairie with his companion, whom we didn’t have the chance to meet, but we would be more than pleased to someday.