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For other uses, see Book (disambiguation).


Books are items used in enchanting and crafting.

Obtaining

Bookshelves

Three books are dropped when a bookshelf is mined without silk touch or destroyed by an explosion.

Crafting

Ingredients Crafting recipe
Paper +
Leather +
Endermid


Natural generation

Item Structure Container Quantity Chance
Java Edition
Book Ancient City Chest 3–10 35.9%
Shipwreck Map chest 1–5 34.5%
Stronghold Library chest 1–3 89.2%
Village Plains house chest 1 12.1%
Desert house chest 1 14.3%
Bedrock Edition
Book Ancient City Chest 3–10 35.9%
Shipwreck Map chest 1–5 34.5%
Stronghold Library chest 1–3 88.3%
Village Plains house chest 1 12.1%
Desert house chest 1 14.3%

Grindstones

Disenchanting enchanted books at a grindstone yields a normal book.

Usage

Crafting ingredient

Name Ingredients Crafting recipe
Book and Quill Book +
Ink Sac +
Feather


Bookshelf Any Planks +
Book

Enchanting Table Book +
Diamond +
Obsidian

Enchanting

Books can be made into enchanted books by enchanting them on enchanting tables.

Trading

Librarian villagers can buy a single book as part of an enchanted book trade.

Apprentice-level Librarian villagers have a 23 chance to buy 4 books for an emerald in Java Edition, and always offer the trade in Bedrock Edition.

Achievements

Icon Achievement In-game description Actual requirements (if different) Gamerscore earned Trophy type (PS4)
PS4 Other
EnchanterConstruct an Enchantment Table.Pick up an enchantment table from a crafting table output.20GBronze
LibrarianBuild some bookshelves to improve your enchantment table.Pick up a bookshelf from a crafting table output.20GBronze


Advancements

Icon Advancement In-game description Parent Actual requirements (if different) Resource location
Advancement-plain-rawInvicon Enchanted BookEnchanter
Enchant an item at an Enchanting Table Diamonds!Insert an item in an enchanting table, then apply an enchantment.story/enchant_item

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierTranslation key
Bookbookitem.minecraft.book

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID Translation key
Bookbook340item.book.name

Video

History


alpha
v1.0.11Book JE1 BE1 Added books.
The only use of books is crafting bookshelves, which are used as a purely decorative block.
beta
1.8Pre-releaseBooks are now found in the new stronghold library chests.
Java Edition
1.0.0Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3Books are now used to craft enchantment tables.
1.3.112w17aThe crafting recipe is now shapeless, so books can now be crafted in the player's 2×2 crafting area, although the recipe now requires leather. Before this version, books were crafted with three paper sheets in a single column.
A book can now be crafted into a book and quill, which can be used to create written books.
12w21aLibrarian villagers now buy 11–12 books for 1 emerald.
12w22aLibrarian villagers now sell enchanted books for 5–64 emeralds and 1 book.
1.4.612w49aBooks can now be enchanted into enchanted books, and then combined together in an anvil with a tool to then enchant it.
1.814w02aLibrarian villagers now buy 8–10 books for 1 emerald.
1.915w43aAverage yield of books in stronghold library chests has been substantially increased.
1.1217w13aAdded the knowledge book, a green-colored book that grants the player a recipe for crafting.
The recipe tab on the crafting table GUI uses a red-colored book.
1.1317w47aPrior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 340.
18w11aBooks now generate in shipwreck chests.
1.1418w43aBook JE2 BE2 The texture of books has been changed.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.3.0Book JE1 BE1 Added books.
Books can be used to craft bookshelves.
0.12.1build 1The crafting recipe for books now requires leather. Before this version, books were crafted with three paper sheets in a single column.
Books are now used to craft enchanting tables.
Books can now be enchanted into enchanted books, and then combined together in an anvil with a tool to then enchant it.
Pocket Edition
1.0.4alpha 1.0.4.0Librarian villagers now buy 8–10 books for 1 emerald.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0beta 1.2.0.2A book can now be crafted into a book and quill, which can be used to create written books.
1.4.0beta 1.2.14.2Books can now be found inside of the map room chest in shipwrecks.
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3Books can now be found in plains village chests.
Book JE2 BE2 The texture of books has been changed.
1.11.0beta 1.11.0.4Librarian villagers now buy 4 books for an emerald.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1CU1 1.0 Patch 1Book JE1 BE1 Added books.
TU14 1.04 The crafting recipe for books now requires leather. Before this version, books were crafted with three paper sheets in a single column.
PlayStation 4 Edition
1.90Book JE2 BE2 The texture of books has now been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0Book JE1 BE1 Added books.

Issues

Issues relating to "Book" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

See also

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