The history of Livraria Lello e Irmão goes back to 1869, the year when Ernesto Chardron's International Bookstore was founded in Rua dos Clérigos. After Chardron's unexpected death at the age of 45, the publishing house was sold to Lugan & Genelioux Sucessores. In 1894 Mathieux Lugan sold Livraria Chardron to José Pinto de Sousa Lello, who then owned a bookstore on Rua do Almada. Associated with his brother, António Lello, they keep Livraria Chardron, under the name José Pinto de Sousa Lello & Irmão, until 1919, the year in which the name of the company changes to Lello & Irmão Lda. The current neo-Gothic style building , and designed by Engº Xavier Esteves (Ilhavo 1864-1944) was inaugurated in 1906, with the presence on the opening day of, among others, Guerra Junqueiro, José Leite de Vasconcelos and Afonso Costa. In 2008, the English newspaper The Guardian considered it the third most beautiful bookstore in the world. In 2011 Lonely Planet publisher considered it the third best bookstore in the world, and CNN in 2014 considered it the most beautiful bookstore in the world
