Every now and then, some of us will stop scrolling through Instagram, put down our smartphones and be instantly engulfed by the magnificence of the actual world. However, it is not always a bad thing to view life by way of technology. Through his lens, Italian Photographer Massimo Listri, best known for his large-scale images of majestic interiors was able to capture the sense of awe through his photos while celebrating the intricacy of grand architectures.

In one of his recent projects, Massimo Listri took on a rapturous journey to some of the oldest and finest libraries in the world. Through shelf lined corridors and spiral staircases, Massimo Listri walks us down the world’s most magnificent temples of knowledge – amongst them are libraries that date all the way back to 1766.

Now, the halls of learning and all its intricate details and polished shelves gather in print, published by Taschen is available for the bibliophiles of the world (or for those who are simply fond of collecting beautiful things) to purchase. Below are some of Listri’s poised images you can find in the book:

Enter a Real-Life Beauty and the Beast or Harry Potter Moment

1. Vatican Apostolic Library, Rome, Italy

2. The library of the Girolamini, Naples, Italy

3. The Mafra Palace library, Mafra, Portugal

4. Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland

5. Sainte-Geneviève library, Paris, France

6. Rijksmuseum research library, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

7. Abbey library of Saint Gall, St. Gallen, Switzerland

8. Strahov Library, Prague, Czech Republic