A bookshelf is a multi-functional block that’s used far more in the mid-late game of Minecraft. However, even if you’re building your first base, you still need to know how to make one so you can take full advantage of its purposes. To see how to make a bookshelf in Minecraft, keep reading the guide below.
Making a Bookshelf in Minecraft
There are two primary ingredients in the crafting recipe for the bookshelf. One of the resources needed is extremely common, while the other will take some time to add to your inventory.
- At a crafting table, place six wood planks of any kind across the top and bottom rows.
- In the middle row of the table, place three regular books to complete the bookshelf recipe.
Obviously, the most difficult aspect of the bookshelf recipe is the books required. Wood planks can be crafted within the first two minutes of Minecraft, but the books are a different story.
We’ve previously gone over how to get a book in Minecraft, but the basic resources you need for one are paper and leather. Paper is created by taking sugar cane and placing it all in a crafting table. Sugar cane is a green stalk plant that only grows when adjacent to water, so that’s where you want to look. You can even start your own sugar cane farm at your base as long as you have enough of it to start. Leather can be acquired by killing cows and other mobs.
With your leather and paper, combine them together at a crafting table to make a book. You need three books to make a single bookshelf, so make sure you gather enough materials for the job. It’s also wise to stock up on everything you need to make books and bookshelves, as you’ll need plenty of them for their intended use.
Bookshelves are primarily used to help enchant gear in Minecraft. When you place enough bookshelves around an Enchanting Table, you’re able to enchant gear with higher-level spells. There are certain bookshelf placements required to get the most out of your Enchanting Table, but the general rule of thumb is to completely surround an Enchanting Table with bookshelves, leaving one block open so you can come and go.
If you stack one bookshelf all around a table, you’ll need 15 total bookshelves. You can also stack bookshelves two blocks high, but this doubles the number of bookshelves you need. You’ll know your bookshelves are positioned correctly when glyphs start appearing from the shelf and go into the book on the Enchanting Table.
Bookshelves also make great decoration for your base, so feel free to use them any way you want in Minecraft.