How To Make a Bookshelf in Minecraft

Minecraft started as a survival game in a world of pixelated blocks, but it now has plenty of new items to craft to make it easier to survive the hostile environment. Bookshelves aren’t new introductions, but not everyone knows how to make them. With many new Minecraft players picking up the game, it’s best to understand how to create one.

The materials for making a Bookshelf are the same no matter what platform you’re playing on. However, the exact instructions may differ. Read on to find out more.

Make a Bookshelf in Minecraft on a PC

Before we tell you how to make a Bookshelf, here are some prerequisite items you should have.

• Crafting Table
  
• Books
  
• Wood Planks
  

Each Bookshelf is made of six blocks of any Wood type and three Books. Check out the recipes for these items if you don’t have them.

A Crafting Table is created by gathering four Wood Plank blocks and using the 2×2 crafting grid in your inventory. Place all four blocks in the grid and grab the Crafting Table. You can now use the 3×3 grid needed to make Bookshelves.

Minecraft has many types of Wood, but all of them will work when constructing a Crafting Table. These include:

• Log
  
• Stripped Log
  
• Stripped Wood
  
• Wood
  
• Stem
  
• Stripped Stem
  
• Hyphae
  
• Stripped Hyphae

Planks are made by filling a 2×2 grid with one Wood block. One block will yield four Planks.

Once the Crafting Table is made, you can start crafting some Books. Each Book requires three Paper materials and one Leather.

Harvest some Sugar Cane and make a horizontal line using a Crafting Table grid. You will get three Paper.

Place one Leather in the middle of the Crafting Table grid and put one Paper in the left slot, top middle slot, and top-left corner. It will make a square and yield one Book.

Now that you have all the necessary materials, you can create a Bookshelf easily.

1. Go to the Crafting Table.
   
2. Open the crafting grid by right-clicking the table.
   
3. Fill the top and bottom row with any Planks.
   
4. Drag and drop three Books to fill the middle row.
   
5. Click and drag on the result to get your Bookshelf.
   

That’s how you can make a Bookshelf on a PC. Bookshelves can still be used in crafting other items but have their own uses.

Players may find Bookshelves in Villages that have Librarians. A novice-level Librarian has a 66.67% chance of selling one for nine Emeralds in Java Edition.

Make a Bookshelf in Minecraft on an Xbox

No matter the console’s generation, the controls are the same on an Xbox. Microsoft has kept its controllers’ buttons similar over the years. Unless you change some controls, you can expect the same layout.

1. Walk to your Crafting Table or use LT to place it on the ground.
   
2. Press LT to interact with the Crafting Table.
   
3. Use LT to place Planks on the top and bottom rows.
   
4. Do the same but with Books for the middle row.
   
5. Grab the Bookshelf with LT and place it in your inventory or hotbar.
   
6. Repeat as required.
   

Before making a Bookshelf, you have to gather the necessary resources as you would on a PC. Fortunately, there are no differences in this process.

Make a Bookshelf in Minecraft on a Switch

Nintendo Switch players can use the Pro Controller, JoyCons, or a third-party controller to play Minecraft. The control scheme is identical by default. There’s no need to worry about memorizing more than one layout.

1. Travel to your Crafting Table or place it on the ground using ZL.
   
2. Press ZL or the equivalent button to bring up the Crafting Table menu.
   
3. Place some Planks onto the grid’s top and bottom rows using ZL.
   
4. Drop three Books in the middle row.
   
5. Take the crafted Bookshelf with ZL.
   
6. Put it in your inventory.
   
7. Repeat the steps as needed.

With this knowledge, you can make Bookshelves on the go while playing your Switch in handheld mode.

Make a Bookshelf in Minecraft Bedrock

Minecraft Bedrock is the version designed for multi-platform compatibility, and it’s the edition found on most consoles. Therefore, it’s not compatible with Minecraft Java Edition, which is the standard game PC gamers tend to enjoy.

Nevertheless, making a Bookshelf in Minecraft Bedrock is identical to doing so in Java Edition. Here are the steps.

1. Move towards your Crafting Table or place one on the ground using your hotbar and right-click.
   
2. Right-click the Crafting Table.
   
3. Drag and drop six Planks onto the crafting grid, three each in the top and bottom rows.
   
4. Drop three Books in the middle row.
   
5. Click on the Bookshelf to stow it in your inventory.
   
6. Repeat the process if you need more.
   

As you can see, the Bookshelf isn’t challenging to make on Bedrock Edition. You can also trade for them with Librarians staying in Villages. Unlike Java Edition, the chance of getting the trade opportunity is lower at 50%.

How to Use Bookshelves

A Bookshelf’s primary function in Minecraft is to increase the potency of Enchantments. When a tool or weapon is enchanted, it gains advantages that make it perform its job more effectively. In the case of weapons, they might defeat mobs faster or even return to you after being thrown.

Enchanted tools and weapons have a purple glow covering the entire object. When held, you can see the purple light flow as you equip it.

Here are some possible enchantments:

• Lure
• Mending
• Silk Touch
• Smite
• Unbreaking
• Infinity

Without any Bookshelves, an Enchanting Table can’t reach the highest enchantment levels, meaning you won’t have access to the best buffs. Players must make 15 Bookshelves and place them around the Enchanting Table to gain the highest levels. This number used to be 30 before Version 1.3.1.

Bookshelves must be two blocks laterally away from the Enchanting Table, but the exact placement will differ between Bedrock and Java Editions. Regardless, you can’t place torches or carpets in the empty space, as it will prevent the Enchanting Table from detecting the Bookshelves.

Crafting Lecterns

Lecterns hold a Book and Quill or Written Book that players can read when interacting with it. In multiplayer mode, Lecterns can contain a server’s rules and regulations. Server owners and admins can place them near spawn points where new players first arrive.

Therefore, Lecterns are excellent for helping newcomers familiarize themselves with local practices and customs. The books they hold can contain more words than Signs.

When you visit a Village, you can find Lecterns in a Librarian’s home. Villagers who don’t have a job may choose to accept the career of Librarian if you place a Lectern near them.

To craft Lecterns, you need a Bookshelf and four Slabs. Any Wood Slab will work, including combining several Woods.

The Lectern recipe has three Slabs on the top row, a Bookshelf in the middle square, and another Slab under the Bookshelf. The recipe appears in the shape of a “T.”

Emergency Fuel

While not recommended, you can choose to burn a Bookshelf as fuel in your Furnace, Blast Furnace, or Smoker. Bookshelves can smelt or cook 1.5 items each. As such, they’re woefully inefficient fuel and should never be used unless there’s no choice.

Changing Note Block Sounds

Like some blocks, you can place a Bookshelf under Note Blocks to produce bass sounds. This function is helpful for players who make music in Minecraft.

Make Some Magic

Bookshelves are excellent for increasing the possible enchantment levels for tools and weapons, making them leagues better than their standard counterparts. In addition, they’re used to make Lecterns, objects useful in multiplayer mode. With this knowledge, you’ll gain access to some of Minecraft’s best items.

What do you usually use a Bookshelf for? How many Bookshelves have you found in the wild? Let us know in the comments section below.