Make a Bookshelf in Minecraft (2022)

The bookshelf works the same way on Minecraft Bedrock and Java Editions. Use the table below to explore different parts of its creation process:

What is a Bookshelf in Minecraft

Contrary to popular belief, a bookshelf in Minecraft isn’t a storage block for storing books. Instead, it’s primarily a decorative block that players use to decorate their house in Minecraft. Other than being a decorative block, a bookshelf also has the ability to enhance the power of an enchanting table.

How to Find a Bookshelf in Minecraft

In your Minecraft world, you can find naturally-generated bookshelves in the following spots:

Village libraries and sometimes also in village housesWithin strongholds whose libraries can have up to 161 bookshelvesInside some rooms of woodland mansions

Get Bookshelf by Trading

Novice-level librarian villagers can sell you bookshelves in exchange for emeralds. But due to the easy crafting recipe for bookshelves, such a trade is hardly ever worth it.

What’s the Use of a Bookshelf in Minecraft

You can use the bookshelf for a variety of purposes in Minecraft. Some of the most common ones are:

Enchanting

In the world of Minecraft, books and enchantments go hand in hand. It’s pretty clear with the presence of enchanted books in Minecraft. If you know how to make an enchanting table in Minecraft, you can place bookshelves around it to improve the quality of enchantments that the table offers. You need a total of 15 bookshelves to make the enchanting table reach its highest potential.

Lectern

Bookshelf acts as a crafting ingredient to make a lectern in Minecraft. It is a job block in the game that you can use to create librarian villagers in Minecraft.

Decoration

Even though you can’t pick or place books on the bookshelf, the block still fulfills its aesthetic purpose. You can easily use these to create libraries inside your Minecraft base.

Items Required to Make a Bookshelf

With its usage out of the way, here are the items you need to make a bookshelf:

6 wooden planks (any)3 books

To make wooden planks, you simply need to place wood logs inside the crafting area. Meanwhile, you need to combine 3 pieces of paper with a piece of leather in the crafting area to craft a book in Minecraft. The crafting recipe for the book is shapeless, so you can place the items anywhere in the crafting area.

Crafting Recipe for Minecraft Bookshelf

The crafting recipe for the bookshelf is easy as well. You need to fill every cell of the first and last row of a crafting table with wooden planks. They don’t even have to be of the same type of wood. Then you need to place books in the middle row to complete the recipe.

Easily Make a Bookshelf in Minecraft Right Now

With that, you know all there is to know about how to make a bookshelf in Minecraft. Once it’s ready, you can use the bookshelf to enchant your entire gear in the game. You can also use our Minecraft enchantments guide to make the process easier. And while you are at it, don’t forget to check out the best Minecraft potions. Similar to the enchantments, the potions help you get special abilities in the game. You can even use them to take over the leaderboards of some of the best Minecraft PvP servers. With that out of the gate, what are you planning to use your bookshelf for? Tell us in the comments section!