In the age of e-readers and instant gratification, the writing is far from on the wall for the printed word. "If not exactly in rude health, books are… alive," says Nicky Dunne, head of rare books at Heywood Hill. "Business is buoyant and sales are up 20 per cent on last year. We now have 5,000 customers in 60 countries and have significant plans for our private library service."

Bespoke library furniture for sale in the apartment at Maison Assouline

Dunne personally oversees the bespoke library-building side of the business, helping discerning readers to create both general and incredibly specific collections. An avid flight enthusiast, for example, commissioned a 1,500 book library of every aviation and POW escapee memoir from both world wars. "It took about a year of scouring all sorts of sources – auctions, book dealers and private collections," he explains. "They were all relatively inexpensive books from the 20th century, which make a much stronger statement together, but we often also include a small selection of rare books."

Nancy Mitford, who famously presided over Heywood Hill during the Second World War, would no doubt be pleased that there is still a family connection; Dunne is the son-in-law of the Duke of Devonshire, and is possessed of plenty of old-fashioned charm and good humour, often setting up the libraries he curates, wherever they are in the world. A recent project involved unpacking more than 4,000 books on the history of modernism at a businessman's home in Switzerland.

Closer to home, Dunne also curated a library for the Mayfair jewellerJessica McCormack's atelier, choosing titles that reflected her love of vintage jewellery and equestrianism.

"I already had an existing collection of jewellery books that I wanted to expand," she explains. "Nick brought me books which I wouldn't have considered reading or choosing myself but I now adore. It was a bit like working with a fashion stylist, in terms of making me try new things, which was invaluable, considering the time constraints I was under at the time."

The library at the jeweller Jessica McCormack's Mayfair atelier

While Heywood Hill often also recommends cabinet makers to clients – frequent collaborator Rupert Bevan once made a dining table with integrated book shelves for a well-heeled lady's book club – and the reading materials are beautifully bound, Dunne is keen to clarify that they absolutely do not fill libraries by the yard for interior designers.

"It's never just an aesthetic thing and we are very careful in our approach," he says, citing the example of a Manhattanite who wanted some books for her home in the Hamptons. "She was bored with the big coffee table books that all of her friends had – the sort of glossy but content-light publications churned out by so many publishers. She wanted something interesting read so we shipped over 15 boxes of books tailored to her interests."

The book publisher Assouline produces exactly the kind of glossy fashion and lifestyle tomes of which Dunne speaks, and to them, the idea that books can be purely decorative is far from anathema; at Maison Assouline on London's Piccadilly, image is everything.

The ground floor at Maison Assouline, Piccadilly

Set in a listed former bank building designed by Edwin Lutyens in 1922, the ground floor is dressed to resemble the library of a grand private residence. Virtually everything you see is for sale, from the immaculately displayed rows of books to the antique furnishings and the handmade Italian stationery laid out on a leather-topped desk. Even the library-scented candle that's burning can be bought.

"We wanted to conjure the feeling of a home," says Aida Bayoud, vice president of retail and operations for the brand. "That's why we called it Maison Assouline. The whole idea is that [the founders] Prosper and Martine Assouline are sharing their home with you. They provide the creative direction behind every single detail. It's totally how they live their lives."

As well as curating reading libraries on particular topics using books from its 1,400-strong back catalogue and vintage tomes personally selected by the Assoulines, the company also recently launched fully furnished environments in which to house them. Beautifully showcased on the first floor of the London branch, the first collection of bespoke libraries has two designs, "High Society" and "Allure", both of which are inspired by books in the Assouline range. Luxe shelving units, sofas, side tables and all manner of other furniture can all be purchased separately or as a whole room in custom colours and finishes.

A book binder at work at Maison Assouline

"It all comes from the Assoulines' vision about a book being a piece of art, which needs to be displayed in the right manner," says Bayoud. "We're often asked if we're planning to launch e-books, but if you look at it from the perspective that a book is something precious that you have an emotional connection with, you still need to have a physical item. There will always be a market for the tangible."

Dunne is equally hopeful about the future of books: "There are a lot of libraries being built in London and further afield at the moment. I think it's because books provide a refuge from all the information we are constantly being bombarded with. The digital screen might just be the saviour of the printed word."

The Telegraph, London