Bookshelf

"Bookshelves are expensive things to create. But you can’t put a price on wisdom, can you? Besides which, in Minecraft at least, they add a bit of colour to a room and enhance the power of nearby enchanting tables!"

- Marsh Davies

Bookshelves are blocks that primarily serve to enhance enchanting with an enchantment table.

Obtaining
Bookshelves can be broken fairly easily by hand, but can be broken faster by using an axe. In either case, they will drop 3 books when broken, allowing the reconstruction of the bookshelf with the addition of six wood planks. When broken by an item that is enchanted with silk touch, it will drop itself.

Natural generation
Villages may contain up to two libraries. Each village library contains seven bookshelves.

Strongholds may contain up to two libraries, each of which may be single-level or have an upper balcony. These feature some bookshelves arranged in pillars, and more bookshelves arranged in pillars in the walls. Single-level libraries contain 161 bookshelves, while libraries with balconies contain 233.

Bookshelves also naturally generate in woodland mansions.

Trading
A bookshelf can be bought from a librarian villager for 3 to 4 emeralds as part of their tier 2 trades.

Enchanting
If an enchantment table is placed near a bookshelf, glyph particles will fly from a bookshelf towards the enchantment table. Having bookshelves in the proper position near the table will allow the table to apply higher-level enchantments.

Fuel
Bookshelves can be used as a fuel in furnaces, smelting 1.5 items per block.

Trivia

 * Bookshelves top and bottom textures by default use the same texture as oak wood planks.
 * It takes 90 wood planks, 45 leather and 135 paper to make 15 bookshelves in order to get a level 30 enchantment.