Bookshelves are blocks that serve as both a decorative block and a way to boost the power of the enchanting process.
Mechanics[]
Bookshelves are generated in libraries, which are inside strongholds, within some buildings of villages, and in woodland mansions. A single bookshelf can be crafted by arranging six wooden planks and three books. Whenever a bookshelf is destroyed without Silk Touch, it always drop back 3 books. Bookshelves are very important for improving enchantment tables. When placed close to one, it will begin to send floating white symbols (Galactic Alphabet) to the book on the enchantment table. This grants a player a chance to receive better enchantments, although this is not guaranteed. To function, a bookshelf must be within a two-block distance of the enchanting table, with one empty space and no obstructions between (even a torch could disable it). The bookshelf will still be in proximity if stacked up to three blocks high. An enchanting table can connect to no more than 15 bookshelf blocks within range. Any additional bookshelves do not contribute to the enchanting effect. Bookshelves can also be used in crafting a lectern.
Crafting[]
| Bookshelf | Lectern | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood Planks | Wood Planks | Wood Planks | Any Wooden Slab | Any Wooden Slab | Any Wooden Slab | |
| Book | Book | Book | None | Bookshelf | None | |
| Wood Planks | Wood Planks | Wood Planks | None | Any Wooden Slab | None | |
Mining[]
A bookshelf can be harvested with any tool or by hand, but an axe is the fastest. You will need silk touch or else you will get 3 books
| Tool | 
|
|---|---|
| Hardness | 1.5 |
| Breaking time[note 1] | |
| Default |
2.25 |
| Wood |
1.15 |
| Stone |
0.6 |
| Iron |
0.4 |
| Diamond |
0.3 |
| Netherite |
0.25 |
| Gold |
0.2 |
- ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools in seconds.
History[]
Bookshelves were added in the 0.26 patch of Survival Test, but they were not able to be naturally spawned until the 0.28 patch. They were left in obscurity, as they could not be crafted until Beta. Bookshelves and libraries were finally implemented in Beta 1.9 pre-release 3, as they could be used to receive higher enchantments on weapons and tools. As of Beta 1.9, destroying a bookshelf will drop three books. Bookshelves can be obtained through trading with librarian villagers as of 1.3.1.
Trivia[]
- Bookshelves are also in Minecraft Classic.
- A bookshelf will always have the same books in the same places, meaning that the books are either the same, or books in a series.
- Using bookcases can boost the maximum experience levels needed to 30, granting a player a higher chance of getting better enchantments, or even multiple enchantments on the same item.
- Bookshelves can be harvested in large quantities from strongholds in particular. To not destroy them and get three books, however, a tool with the silk touch enchantment must be used.
- Librarian villagers may constantly scroll through books in a bookshelf when at work.
- Players can't take the books out of the shelf without breaking the shelf.
Gallery[]
