Enchanted Book

An enchanted book is an item which allows players to add enchantments to weapons, tools, or armor by combining the enchantment book with one of these items on an anvil. Enchanted books appear to be a book bound with a red ribbon and also have an enchanted effect. Enchanted books are single-use. In Survival, enchanted books are the only method to obtain certain enchantments, such as Silk Touch on shears. Enchanted books have a shine effect on their sprite.

Natural generation
Enchanted books can be found in chests located in dungeons, strongholds, desert temples, jungle temples and mineshafts. Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level 30 enchantment on an enchantment table, but the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced.

Fishing
Enchanted books can be obtained as a "treasure" item from fishing. There is a low chance of getting one.

Trading
Enchanted books can be bought from Librarian villagers for 5-64 emeralds as part of their tier 1, 4 and 5 trades. They may contain any enchantment.

Enchanting
Players can create an enchanted book by enchanting a book on an enchantment table. You can also enhance an enchanted book by combining enchantments on an anvil, which costs less experience than applying the books separately (see Anvil Mechanics for details). Unlike other items, it is not possible to enchant books by putting an enchanted tool/weapon/armor in the sacrifice slot, wether or not the target book is already enchanted. Enchanted books are single-use. Books are less "enchantable" than other materials, which reduces the probability of receiving some high-level enchantments. They are one of the easiest ways to get high level enchantments. This makes them pretty valuable.

Enchanting books can commonly have up to 5 unique enchantments. This item may have one tool enchantment, armor enchantment, sword enchantment, bow enchantment, and fishing enchantment on the same book.



Rarely, similar enchantments are seen on the same book.



Usage
To use an enchanted book, the player must place an item in the first slot in an anvil, and a book in the next. In order to complete the enchantment, the player must have the required amount of experience. Note that using an enchanted book gets significant discounts at the anvil. In fact, combining a weak book with a powerful item can save enough levels for a player to also rename the item, and still pay less than if they renamed without the book.

Enchanted books themselves can be combined to create a single book with increased or multiple enchantments, much as when combining tools or weapons. Currently, this works even in survival mode. Multi-spell books can also be obtained by fishing. If a book is applied to an item which can't take all of its spells (consider a book with Thorns and Luck of The Sea), the appropriate spells are transferred, while (in survival mode) the unusable ones are lost.

Enchanted books do not exhibit their enchantment (e.g. hitting a mob with enchanted book of Sharpness will not do more damage).

Creative Mode
The player can enchant any block or item with any enchantment in creative mode. As a result, a pickaxe with Sharpness will do more damage, and a stick with Silk Touch can dig up grass blocks (once created, such a tool still works if the game is switched to Survival mode). The books can be found in their appropriate tabs (e.g Silk Touch in the Tools tab, Fire Aspect in the Weapons tab etc). If a block is enchanted, it will not have the purple effect seen on it as a resource if it is placed.

Survival Mode
Enchanted books can only be used with a limited set of items. Besides the usual targets for the various enchantments, they do allow applying some enchantments that can't be done at an enchantment table. This includes boosting enchantments such as Sharpness or Thorns to their maximum power, and the following special enchantments:

Trivia

 * In Creative mode, "combining" a regular book with an enchanted book on an anvil, will enchant the book like any other miscellaneous item, not promote it to an enchanted book.
 * Enchanted books can put enchantments previously impossible to get on a few other items, but enchantments will only work on tools, armor, and weapons, and some enchantments are item-specific. Enchantment restrictions are lifted in Creative mode, and unusually-enchanted items created this way remain useful in Survival mode.
 * Enchanted books and potions take up the most amount of space in the creative mode inventory.
 * When obtained through the command, the enchanted book will have no attached enchantments, but will still shine as if it is enchanted.