Bookshelf

Bookshelves and enchanting

Every bookshelf two blocks from an enchanting table, with air in between, adds 1 enchanting power, up to 15. Use the setup tool to place them.

Breaking a bookshelf without Silk Touch drops 3 books. Chiseled bookshelves don't power the table.

Bookshelves in survival

Fifteen bookshelves need 45 books, which means 135 paper and 45 leather. A sugar cane farm covers the paper easily; leather comes from cows or from trading with leatherworkers. Village libraries and strongholds also have bookshelves you can break for books, or collect whole with Silk Touch.

Bookshelves don't need to be in one ring: any mix of positions two blocks away works. Try layouts in the setup tool, then see the odds in the table calculator.

What a full set costs

One bookshelf takes 6 planks and 3 books. Each book takes 3 paper and 1 leather, and 3 sugar cane make 3 paper. So the sugar cane count always equals the paper count. One log gives 4 planks.

The leather is usually the slow part. Cows drop 0 to 2 leather each, so a small cow farm with wheat for breeding covers it. Rabbit hide works too: 4 hides craft 1 leather. Also, novice librarians sell bookshelves for emeralds, which can be faster once you trade paper.

Getting paper fast

Sugar cane grows on dirt, grass or sand right next to water, up to 3 blocks tall. Harvest the top two blocks and leave the bottom one, so it grows back on its own. A double row along a stream gives enough paper for a full room in a few days of play.

Placement rules

A bookshelf counts when it sits two blocks from the enchanting table, at the same height or one block higher. That gives a 5 by 5 ring with 16 spots per layer and 32 in total. Corners count as well.

In Java, the gap can contain air or replaceable blocks such as short grass, snow layers or water. Torches, carpets and slabs block bookshelf power. An air gap is the simplest layout.

Layouts that work

• Single ring: fill the ground ring of 16 and leave one spot open as a door. That is exactly 15, and you can walk straight in.
• Two-high walls: line two or three sides of the ring, two shelves high. For example, 8 on the bottom and 7 on top. That leaves a wide side open for chests and an anvil.
• Room in a wall: dig the table into a 5 by 5 alcove and put shelves around three sides on both layers. It hides the setup inside your base.

Test any layout first in the setup tool. It counts the shelves that work, so you can fix the layout before you craft a single book.

Turning shelves off on purpose

Sometimes you want a lower level, for example to fish for a cheaper option on a book. Instead of breaking shelves, put a torch or carpet in the gap in front of a few of them. Each blocked shelf lowers the count by one. Remove the block again when you want level 30 back.

The table calculator shows which levels each count gives. That way you can pick the count that makes your target enchantment most likely.

Where to find bookshelves

Bookshelves generate in village libraries, stronghold libraries and woodland mansions. Stronghold libraries are the richest, with walls full of shelves. If you break one with an axe, you get 3 books back; with Silk Touch you keep the bookshelf.

An axe breaks them fastest, but any tool or your hand works. So bring an axe with Silk Touch on a stronghold trip and you can skip most of the crafting.

Fire safety

Bookshelves are wooden and they burn. Lava nearby or a fire spreading from a fireplace can destroy a whole enchanting room. Keep lava and open flames out of the room, and light it with lanterns or glowstone instead. Also remember that lightning can start fires, so put a roof over an outdoor setup.

Related blocks

Chiseled bookshelf

The chiseled bookshelf holds up to 6 books, including enchanted books. Craft it from 6 planks and 3 wooden slabs. It does not power the enchanting table, but it makes a neat library for spare books. When you break it, the books inside drop.

Lectern

The lectern needs one bookshelf to craft. It is the librarian's job site block, which makes it the key to librarian trading. Break and replace it before you trade, and the villager rolls a new book offer. It does not power the enchanting table either.

How many shelves at each stage

You don't need all 15 at once. Each shelf helps, so build them as books come in.

• 5 shelves: the bottom option reaches 15. That is enough for Unbreaking and Protection on iron gear.
• 10 shelves: the bottom option shows 20 to 23. Books start to roll solid levels here.
• 15 shelves: the bottom option is always 30, the best the table can do. After that, more shelves only decorate the room.

Also, the top and middle options rise with the count, but they stay cheap. Use them for quick re-rolls between level 30 enchants.

Common mistakes

• Placing shelves directly next to the table. They need a one-block gap of air.
• Putting torches on the floor of the gap. Light the room from the walls or ceiling.
• Crafting more than 15 for the table. Extra shelves add nothing to the levels.
• Breaking village libraries without Silk Touch. You lose the shelves and get only the books back.
• Building the room with a lava light or fireplace. One spark can burn the whole thing down.