Enchanting Table

Enchantment Table is a block. Notch has stated that Enchanting will work in three stages and the effects will be based on the spell you choose, but a random loot element will be included as well. Each spell will cost the player experience levels but in turn allow the player to enchant armor and swords so that they will last longer, be more powerful and give their color more of a gloss look.

In 1.9 Pre-Release 3, the Enchantment Table can be destroyed with a single punch, but only drops as a block if it is harvested with a Pickaxe.

History
Notch first tweeted about the Enchantment Table on September 30th 2011.

Enchantments
Some translated enchantments:

Flint and Steel:


 * 1 - Berata Elemental Animal Enchant
 * 2 - Twist Towards Other
 * 2 - Enchant Embiggen Other Humanoid
 * 3 - Embiggen Elder Cold Scrolls
 * 8 - Cold Dry Bless
 * 8 - Dry Bless Fire Free
 * 9 - Grow Klaatu Earth Other
 * 9 - Destroy Demon Demon
 * 9 - Cube Stretch Earth
 * 10 - Elder Stretch Ignite Undead
 * 11 - Darkness Cube Demon
 * 12 - XYZZY Fire Range
 * 13 - Of Range Range Other
 * 15 - Range Klaatu Cold
 * 15 - Berata Fresh Galvanize

Armor:


 * 3 - Grow Beast Self
 * 4 - Cold Fiddle Snuff Range
 * 4 - Stretch Destroy Curse Snuff
 * 7 - Bless Imbue Berata
 * 10 - Animal Creature Physical
 * 13 - Embiggen Scrolls Humanoid

Sword:


 * 2 - Destroy Cold Of
 * 2 - Water Physical Other
 * 2 - Ranged Towards Bless Beast
 * 3 - Sphere Undead Creature Free
 * 3 - Elder Fresh Embiggen Imbue
 * 3 - Range Towards Enchant Elder
 * 3 - Scrolls Wet Creature
 * 4 - Hot Range Spirit
 * 4 - Twist Elemental ZYZZY
 * 7 - Enchant Ignite Earth
 * 7- Grow Limited Light Curse
 * 8 - Sphere Berata Spirit
 * 8 - Niktu Stale Enchant Wet
 * 8 - Shrink Towards Demon Berata
 * 9 - Imbue Undead Berata
 * 10 - Inside Cold Dry Bless
 * 10 - Inside Ball Twist
 * 10 - Stale Physical Cube Fire
 * 10 - Of Beast Imbue
 * 10 - Shorten Of Of
 * 12 - Undead Stale Undead Embiggen
 * 13 - Physical Ball Other Klaatu
 * 13 - Undead Range XYZZY
 * 13 - Fiddle The Grow
 * 13 - Animal Stretch Elder
 * 13 - Imbue Klaatu Earth
 * 14 - Niktu Water Other Fire
 * 14 - Dry Creature The beast
 * 14 - Berata Berata Bless
 * 14 - Towards Darkness Niktu
 * 15 - Cube Inside Undead Grow
 * 15 - Embiggen Light Curse

Bugs

 * Enchantments are disabled/do not work in Beta 1.9 Pre-release 3's SMP. If a player attempts to enchant an item, it will appear enchanted for the client, but will update with the unenchanted status once the player logs out and then back in again.
 * In Beta 1.9 Pre-release 3, if a potion in the enchantment slot is right clicked, the game has a chance to crash.
 * If you shift click an item into the enchanting table the game will crash. (both creative and survival modes)

Trivia

 * Notch commented on Reddit "Oh, it's more magical than that! It automatically opens up and turns towards players who get close to it. When nobody is around, the books is closed and spins slowly. Because magic."
 * Notch comments on other book animations. "Yes, the pages flip randomly every now and then."
 * On October 1st 2011, Notch tweeted an image of the enchantment screen, with enchantments written in the Standard Galactic Alphabet. The first enchantment translates onto "Well Played Internets You Are Good", the second translated into "These Names Will Be Random And Confusing", and the third translates to "Each Spell Costs Experience Levels". The Standard Galactic Alphabet or SGA was originally created by Tom Hall for use in the Commander Keen series of computer games.
 * When an Enchantment Table is nearby a Bookshelf, SGA letters will come from the shelves to the Enchantment Table.
 * Although the bottom texture appears to be the same as obsidian, it is separate from the obsidian texture in terrain.png.