Others have asked for selections of books they should read before they die, or for books about Western engagement in the Arab world, or polar exploration, or Modernism, beginning with German Expressionism and ‘‘following every strand — painting, photography, sculpture, design, literature and art as a whole, from the 1920s to the present,’’ Dunne said — maybe 4,000 titles, in that particular case.

Heywood Hill’s customers hail from 60 countries (about a third of their customers are from the Unites States), and have been known to throw themselves entirely at the mercy of the staff, such as the ‘‘nice American lady’’ in the Hamptons who was renovating her house. ‘‘She said, ‘I’m sick of seeing the same glossy rubbish books in my friends’ houses; please send me some good books,’ ’’ Dunne recalled. She lucked out, receiving, among other non-glossy, non-rubbish selections, John Julius Norwich’s ‘‘Sicily’’; A. N. Wilson’s ‘‘Victoria: A Life’’; some volumes of philosophy by John Gray; ‘‘Hall of Mirrors,’’ Barry Eichengreen’s book about the Great Depression and the 2008 recession; and what Dunne referred to as ‘‘a nice chunk of fiction,’’ including works by Kazuo Ishiguro.

The cost for such literary curation can run into the six figures, depending on the size of the library, but for people who don’t want or can’t afford to purchase complete libraries, the shop offers preselected ‘‘book boxes’’ of five to 10 volumes, intended mostly as gifts. They’re arranged by themes, some with help from friends of the store: Edmund de Waal’s ‘‘The Books That Made Me’’; A. A. Gill’s selection of cookery writing; Simon Berry’s starter library for the young wine connoisseur.

There’s also a program called A Year in Books, in which readers receive a book a month for a year. The customer pays a set fee — about $515 for hardcovers — and the store chooses the exact volumes after interviewing the recipient about their likes, dislikes and idiosyncratic interests. ‘‘We get attuned to our customers,’’ Dunne said. ‘‘These are human rhythms as opposed to algorithms.’’

And though much of their business is conducted by phone or over email, Heywood Hill is also distinguished by its actual physical presence. Bookstores these days can be dispiriting places, with their novelty merchandise and beside-the-point coffee bars, their groaning piles of discounted thrillers and dwindling numbers of customers. Heywood Hill is a joyful corrective for even the most discouraged and reluctant book lover. The two-level shop is small but airy and elegant, featuring wood builts-ins, a fireplace, stately chandeliers and stacks of books piled enticingly on tables.