Bookshelf/bookcase reviews

Having moved and needing new bookshelves, I've been hunting around the internet for reviews, recommendations and sales. We have purchased several models recently, with price being the primary criteria. I thought it might help folks to see reviews of what we've purchased. If you have bought bookshelves recently, add your thoughts!

This has been our biggest purchase so far, both in terms of size and price.

It has a lengthy title:

Tribesigns Rustic Triple Wide 5-Shelf Bookcase, 5 Tier Etagere Large Open Bookshelf Vintage Industrial Style Shelves Wood and Metal bookcases Furniture for Home & Office, Retro Brown

https://www.amazon.com/Tribesigns-Bookshelf-Industrial-bookcases-Furniture/dp/B0...

Delivery: The Amazon page for this clearly states this will be delivered in two packages. On roughly the expected delivery date, 1 package arrived, weighing less than expected and stating 'package 1 of 1'. I checked the tracking, no other package was listed as being delivered. Looking at the reviews, I saw that other people had problems with getting both packages. I sent off a customer service email and got a reply about 12 hours later, telling me that the 2nd package was still on the way and giving me a 2nd tracking number. The 2nd package then arrived the next day (2 days after the first). All was well, but I really wish they'd given me both tracking numbers from the start. Customer support was extremely cordial and very useful.

Assembly: Not too bad. Basically, all of the shelves are attached to the ladder ends by screws through the ladder frames into the shelves. There are no cams, dowels and nothing else holds up the shelves. There are 2 cross-shaped supports on the back that also screw in. The two end sections are joined only by the shelves, there's no cross-brace or connectors.

Opinion: These are a bit tall for 4 or 5 shelf bookshelves, I really wish there was some flexibility in where to put the shelves, but there is not. I immediately put books in the empty space in the middle bottom and I am planning on adding a shelf on the middle top, which will sort of make that one a 6 shelf unit. Other reactions have been - 'ooh, nice and open'. It seems very sturdy, has given us no problems. The cross-braces stick out from the back 1", no matter how we tried to assemble them, when we did them wrong they stuck out 2". Not really a problem, but you can't put them against the wall.

Rating: so far, 8 out of 10.

When we moved 5 years ago, I made sure to take along my old bookcases, cheap white affairs with either 3 or 5 shelves. The white got discontinued some time back, and as I added more books, I had to get black or walnut. They came from various DiY stores or Argos. 65 cm wide by 16 cm deep, the fixed shelf height was perfect for mass market paperbacks and most trade paperbacks. I used to stack them - a 5-shelf unit with a 3-shelf unit upside down on top with the plinth removed to make an extra shelf.

At the new place, I wan't able to do that - I had to remove the plinth from both bookcases to fit them in the height available. I didn't have enough shelving to fit, so I filled in with some all wood backless shelving, 5 + 3. However, I couldn't do the plinth trick with these.

Eventually, the family room will get shelved out properly, but that will require both of us having time off as at the moment we're using the room as an office. I may wait another 5 years or so when the flat roof will probably need replacing again; we'll go for a pitch roof instead (if the walls will take the weight).

We had miscellaneous tatty bookshelves in the lounge; I replaced them with nice oak bookcases with solid shelves (large chip shelves tend to sag - books are too heavy!). These were part of a range called Milano: https://richmondhousefurniture.co.uk/living/milano-tall-bookcase.html
I think the firm we got them from has been taken over since and I think the range has been withdrawn. Our main criteria was no cornice so we could butt the bookcases against each other. The other thing we had to do was replace the cheap and flimsy plastic-covered shelf supports (basically a metal rod with a plastic 'paddle' which broke as soon as you looked at it) with solid metal ones.

I ended up with 4 large (6 shelves) and 1 small (3 shelves) oak bookcases, and a matching corner TV unit. The 3-shelf bookcase had one shelf stashed in the attic - it's the perfect size for my vinyl collection and has the hi-fi unit on top. Nice clean lines in light oak, and we have 3 DVD shelves as well (different range, but similar clean lines.

IKEA BILLY bookcases are a popular, inexpensive option. I've seen the shelves filled with hardcover books without bowing. (I have closeout buys from Borders Books at home, so my experience with IKEA's cases are through former friends.)

>3 Maddz: Those are nice, but ow, pricey! I've seen lots of beautiful bookshelves and eventually, I may buy some higher end ones. Just trying to get the books on the shelves for now. I moved 2 of my old 3 shelf bookcases that I built myself, 1 really nice real wood 5 shelf one that we bought second hand and 2 cheap 3 shelf bookshelves, plus one more that wasn't even assembled yet. I also have a long, 3 shelf plank and block unit in the basement for my gaming stuff. The 3 shelf bookcases will eventually all either become dividers in the library or go downstairs for books.

>4 aspirit: I found those and they seemed ideal, very inexpensive. Unfortunately, shipping was DOUBLE the cost of the bookcase.

Next up:

Decorative Standard Bookcase from Wayfair

https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/closetmaid-decorative-standard-bookcase-cl...

Delivery: no problems, but it did take 3 weeks. Package was a lot lighter than I expected.

Assembly: No problems at all. Side panels are all 1 panel, all mostly held together with bolts and cams. The cams are a little lighter weight than I'd prefer.

Opinion: the instructions were 3 pages, no words, just pictures. Uh oh. I bought this unit because it is going to hold my technical books and textbooks, so it needed to support substantial weight and hold tall books, not paperbacks. Unfortunately, the shelves are thick because they are made of the lightest particle board I've ever seen. Seriously, I'm starting to think this stuff is aerogel impregnated with sawdust. It looks nice, but it is so light weight I have no faith at all that it is going to hold up and it is quite wobbly and leans forward. I could probably fix that a bit by pushing the books all the way to the back, but I may actually fasten this one to the wall, which I normally do not do.

It does look nice though, no visible seams, nails, screws, etc. The cams and cam bolts are lighter gauge than I'd prefer.

I do not normally order from Wayfair, so I have no idea if this is typical, most of their stuff is quite expensive, but I'd seen good reviews of the ClosetMaid brand and it says each shelf will hold 60 pounds. We shall see!

Rating: 6 out of 10, could go up or down depending on performance.

Edit: This was on sale when I bought it, the price has gone up.

My family tends to be cheap-do-it-yourselfers when it comes to bookcases.

These are what we have usually, rails screwed into studs in the walls, the dohickeys that hold the shelves can be placed anywhere up and down the rails, then painted, varnished or otherwise treated wood placed on them, hammered down on the dohickeys, and books on top. It gets tricky if you only have space for 2 rails because you have to balance the weight in the middle, but since I usually fill up every inch, not a big problem. These won't work of course if you live in an apartment where you can't put screws into the walls.


This is the other type of shelf I use, which does work for apartment dwellers, is easy to dismantle for moving if you have to move frequently. Landscaping bricks with treated shelves. I have three of these around the house.


I won't probably win any interior design awards, but I have lots of shelf space! I also bought one oak bookcase for my livingroom when we were first married, before children, when we had expendable funds. :P

>6 Karlstar: yikes. Unless you have a friend who can pick up from an IKEA store for you, I'm guessing BILLY won't be worth further consideration.

>8 MrsLee: Those are great! I've made some of my own too, pictures will be coming soon!

>8 MrsLee: By the way, it is the bottom two "shelves" of books resting on the floor that I am trying to read through and not fill again, I've decided books resting on the floor is not a good long term solution for easy cleaning of said floor.

>1 Karlstar: Those are pretty shelves for a living area.

The 3rd one we purchased.

Mainstay'` 71" 5-Shelf Standard Bookcase (Canyon Walnut)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B089DL7DT9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s0...

Delivery: No problems, came quickly in one box, but this was another one that seemed too light.

Assembly: another of the cam/cam bolt type, assembly was fairly easy, but really needed 2 people, as it is a bottom and top unit held together with the cams. I had no problems at all and this went together quickly.

Opinion: I have real doubts about this one. Like the CabinetMaid unit, the 'particle' in the particle board shelves seems more air than wood, these reminded me of balsa wood in terms of density, but are half the thickness of the CabinetMaid unit. I also do not not like the top and bottom being held together with cams. I noticed the movers tended to move furniture by grabbing opposite top and bottom corners and carrying everything, not using furniture dollies. That puts a lot of strain on the joints and sides of the furniture, which I suspect would just cause this unit to separate in the middle.

In general I am not a fan of the thin cardboard backing of this and the previous unit. It adds nothing for stability and won't hold up in a move. For the units that hold up over time, I plan on replacing the backing with thin plywood (luan).

Rating: 4 out of 10, could go up if it holds up. Looks nice, but at this time is only half full and no hardcovers will go on the top 2 shelves.

>11 MrsLee: I agree about the shelves on the floor, for now I have books on the floor in the middle section of the Tribesigns shelf, but I don't like it and plan on correcting it.

These are the block and plank shelves I moved from the previous house.


I'm trying to keep the books off the floor but I'm running out of space.

I think for the prices you're paying, you could take a day trip to NY/NJ, get IKEA Billy bookshelves, and they would be cheaper and hold up better than what's being delivered to you.

The most recent shelf assembled.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-Gardens-71-Ashwood-Road-5-Shelf-Bookcase...

Better Homes & Gardens 71" Ashwood Road 5 Shelf Bookcase, Cherry

Delivery: no problems, it came promptly with no issues at all. Heavy box.

Assembly: Another cam bolt and cam system, separate top and bottom attached by cams, plus a lot of screws and angle brackets. The angle brackets are specific to this unit, which is actually a Sauder unit, with the BH&G brand name. There are a LOT of screws on this one.

Opinion: after this one was ordered, I asked on Amazon about the weight capacity of the shelves, since it wasn't listed. The answer that came back said it will not hold hardcovers on the adjustable shelves. In the instructions, it says the weight capacity on those was 30 pounds, but I'm skeptical. Also, while this unit looks great, all the molding on the front is held in by the angle brackets (plastic) and short screws in slots, not holes. This is not a real sturdy unit, but better than the Mainstay unit. It also features a strange attachment for the cam bolts - they don't screw into the boards, but just kind of slide in, I can only assume some twisting action with the cams causes them to expand slightly, otherwise there is absolutely nothing holding this unit together vertically. There are plenty of holes for the shelf pegs, which are metal and come with a nice plastic sleeve to hold the shelves in place quietly without slipping. On the other hand, the boards are denser and appear stronger than the Mainstay unit.

One good thing, I think I can adjust the shelves such that I can get an additional shelves for paperbacks on the top. I say think, but it turns out the angle brackets holding the molding on also get in the way of placing the shelves.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

>14 reconditereader: Ironically, we used to live about 1.5 hours from the Ikea in Paramus, NJ, but now that is a 6.5 hour drive, with tolls, gas and overnight stay, it would be a lot more than the shipping. We thought about it! There's one closer in Pittsburgh, which we considered.

I've bought about 90% of our bookshelves through craigslist. Most are those particle board with faux wood covering. So cheap, but then, all we wanted was something to hold them. Neither of us are big on looks.

I like this thread :-D

I have three large (84" X 42") bookcases that we purchased back in the early 90's from a place called Naked Furniture in Rockford, Illinois that were billed as 'oak.' Parts of them actually are. Sadly the shelves are not. Still, they have held up well, and after all these years they look good. The shelf heights are adjustable, except for one fixed shelf in each unit. Those fixed shelves do not sag. I also have a smaller unit we bought at the same place that actually is solid wood, and it is lighter but extremely sturdy. That one still looks fantastic, and I wish I'd bought multiple like that one before the place went out of business. Then we moved to Connecticut and I bought solid oak shelves for my daughter's room at a great place called Mill Stores. (Which of course also went out of business.) I sanded and finished those myself, and apparently that's not one of my skills. They look great but feel a bit rough.

Now that I've moved back into the 'ancestral manse' I also have the single shelving unit my grandfather built onto the wall in the room my parents called the den which I call my library. It's 15' X 44" The guys who put in my new oak floor had to detach it from the wall, swing it around, take it out the door and put it on the lawn to install the boards. That was build in 1972, and is only 7.5 inches deep. I think it might be pine that's now painted white. That's installed above cast iron baseboard heating so the first shelf is actually 18" off the ground. It doesn't hold as much as I wish it did, but it's very sturdy.

I still have at least a third of my books in boxes because I haven't been able to get a couple of radiators I don't need removed yet.

>17 BookstoogeLT: I was planning on finding bookshelves at estate sales and such, but that's not in the cards this summer.

>18 clamairy: That's quite the shelving unit! I have to find places for all the books that I had on the 6 custom built 6 shelf bookcases at my old home, plus the 2 units that were built in to 3 of the bedrooms. I do have some old maple shelf boards that I was using for tool and paint can storage, I'm saving those to make into a shelf myself.

This is a very topical thread for me, because a shelf on one of my bookcases has just collapsed. It may have happened a while ago, but I didn't notice because the shelf was resting on top of the books on the one below, which had a layer of books lying horizontally across the regularly shelved ones. So I am on the lookout for a replacement which will be able to cope with double rows of paperbacks and hardbacks. It's good to read of your experiences!

We inherited (from a number of sources) a number of the sectional bookcases made way back when by Globe-Warnicke, and advertised in the National Geographic from the 1930s and '50s. I treasure them.
While we were based in London 40 years ago we bought a very elegant bookcase clad in yew from a place in Richmond called Mahogany and Yew (clearly feeling flush on a diplomatic salary), and bespoke solid-wood bookcases to keep my record collection in from a place between Bath and Bristol, whose name escapes me (had to be bespoke solid wood: shellac 78s are taller and deeper, and weigh far more than books!)

The geologist in me zoomed into your geodes. Very nice.

I had eleven Billys on the go at one stage. IKEA has modified the design and the current Billys have shallower shelves than the ones I bought. I have to confess to having all my Billy shelves filled two books deep, not something one can do with the newer Billys.

>23 pgmcc: I might take a look at the Billys again if they've made them shallower. I didn't like the deeper ones because they wouldn't fit with the shallow shelving I already had.

The ultimate plan is to completely shelve out the family room where the bulk of the library lives. I have the contact details of a joiner, so when we don't need work space for 2 people, I'll get something organised. Probably next year now.

I have three in my family room and they came from Goodwill before the virus.

>23 pgmcc:, >24 Maddz:. They are still deeper than my shelves. It's quite a narrow room (being a converted garage), so I'm reluctant to add 12 cm to the depth of the shelves. Oh, well. I'll wait until I can get the joiner in.

>26 Maddz: My study (or, as it would be more appropriately described, the Family Store Room) is a converted garage. I have Billys on on three adjacent walls. One is the short back wall with two Billys side by side. The wall to the right when looking at the back wall has two Billys, then the radiator with my desk in front of it, then a six inch wide Billy full of CDs along side another full-sized Billy that runs up to the front wall, which has a window. Looking to the back of the room again, the wall on the left has two Billy's running from the back wall, a filing cabinet (with precariously stacked books as was shown in a photograph in another thread, the door into the room from the house, and another Billy taking up the wall to the window. So, seven full sized Billys and a narrow one for CDs.

There is another full sized Billy in the dining-room full of DVDs, and an empty one awaiting permission to put it somewhere permanent and refilled with books. Another full-sized Billy, full of books, takes up a bit of wall in our bedroom. The eleventh full-sized Billy is in one of the other bedrooms and is filled with board-games and photo albums.

My son has a non-Billy bookcase about the same size of a Billy full of books in his bedroom. He also has a half-width Billy full of college books and some Fantasy novels.

There are two of the narrow Billys in the sitting-room, one on either side of the fireplace, containing DVDs, most of the children's ones that come into play when grandchildren come to stay.

Now, where can I put that spare Billy that is currently in the dining-room up against the sliding doors into the conservatory?

Oh, I forgot to mention the two three shelf bookcases in the conservatory and the big bookcase/TV shelf I built years ago that is also in the conservatory. They were moved into the conservatory when we were getting a new floor into the sitting-room and dining-room. Only the two three shelf bookcases contain books.

Did I mention the Billy-sized bookcase with glass doors at the top of the stairs stairs that contains the Agatha Christie, Brother Cadfael, Peter Tremayne, Terry Pratchette, etc... books? No, I do not think I did.

Been too long since I bought mine that I don't remember the model name from a UK store chain Habitat that's since closed. The key point was to have solid wood shelves which just don't warp compared to any type of particle/mdf/ply equivalent. They are heavy (and fairly expensive). And the selves are thick 3/4" or so. Survived moving and are full of pb/hb double stacked. Still unbowed. They look somewhat like the Billy but are just more robust.

If I ever get any more I may try something with glass shelves.

I am following this thread with interest, because I anticipate needing more bookshelves once I finally have a home of my own again - which is liable to be considerably longer than I ever anticipated, since I have not even been able to put the previous one on the market yet, due to the lockdown (estate agents were not open for business, v and now that they are, shielding means that I cannot get to them).

In the meantime, I have found the following very useful for temporary accommodation:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Z9DRHK4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_RgAQdhlgta9AO

It is extremely light, such that the entire unit, assembled, can be picked up by me with one hand. Despite that, the taut plastic woven shelves actually cope quite happily with a stack of books on them.

What is particularly useful is that it comes in a box that can easily be tucked under one arm:

Moreover, since it simply fits together without glue, nails or hammering, it should be easy to disassemble and fit back in the box did transport at the next move.

I would not use it as a bookcase long term because of the weight, but I found it an excellent alternative to living out of crates, as a temporary solution.

>29 -pilgrim-: Interesting! Glad you found something that works so well.

>24 Maddz: >27 pgmcc: I thought the Billy bookcases were the answer when I found them, one of the narrow 5 shelf units is only $49 (US) here, though the other colors are $69. For some reason, narrow bookcases are really expensive. The $99 shipping is a problem though. I guess someday there will be an IKEA road trip.

>30 Karlstar: $99 delivery seems rather excessive. In the UK, a 2-person delivery is £39, smaller 1-person deliveries are £3.95, £9.95 or £19.95 depending on the size of your order. Billys would be flat-pack, so should be a 1-person delivery, probably £19.95 if you buy several.

It's not a problem for me, as we go to Milton Keynes twice a year (or would do if there wasn't a pandemic) and can visit the MK store as part of the trip if there's something we want. Unfortunately, I really dislike shopping at the store - I find the layout claustrophobic and confusing, and usually they haven't got what I'm after either. What I do is shop online and identify products of interest and make a list and compare in store so I'm not walking a mile to find everything. I think the last time we visited we were looking at bathroom cabinets to replace the IKEA cabinet left behind by the previous owner but didn't buy because they were naff.

Here in Qatar, at the beginning of the lockdown, the IKEA store was delivering and assembling for basically a nominal charge, so I got my two extra Billys then. They had to close completely not long afterwards. They are open again now, subject to some precautions. >31 Maddz: I don't actually dislike the store, but I usually follow much the same strategy, which also sometimes finds me useful things that I might have missed if I had just wandered around.

Can anyone actually see the image in >13 Karlstar:? It doesn't show up for me here, but that isn't unusual, I usually blame it on my browser.

>33 Karlstar: Nope. (iMac, Catalina 10.15.5, Safari 13.1.1, also Firefox 77.0.1, if that's any help).

Looks like a broken link to me.

>33 Karlstar: Nope, I'm not even seeing a broken image placeholder. Chrome on windows here...

>34 haydninvienna: >35 Maddz: >36 BookstoogeLT: Thanks gang, I will attempt to fix it.

>8 MrsLee: >29 -pilgrim-: how the heck did you get that image in your post? I've had some luck using the IMG reference for book images, but it isn't working for that picture out on google docs.

>38 Karlstar: Here is something you can try... In your google docs, load the picture you want to link and right-click on it, (assuming windows). From the popup menu, choose "Copy Image Location". Paste that link into your IMG SRC.

>38 Karlstar: I used my junk drawer.
Upload the picture to that part of your gallery. Then, open the image as a new page (don't try to use the page that has the image on it, which was my initial mistake). Use thr newly opened page's address in your IMG reference then, as you would for a book.

I have a lot of white billy's in my house. (If I'm counting right, I have 19.) I use them for books, groceries, kitchen stuff and everything else. I like the 60 cm type best, but they are no longer available (40 and 80 only).

>39 ScoLgo: So that was an interesting experiment! It is a picture, so I had to go to Google Drive. I went to drive, right clicked on it, didn't see an option to copy the location, but I decided to try 'open with' and chose google docs. Google docs translated the picture into text! It read the text of the card, the book titles, etc and put it into a document! With no picture...

Here's what Google Drive thinks is a shareable link, which should work:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qucfSevjl4QRmsqn3d-ThwO119QYOzl8/view?usp=shari...

When I put that into an IMG statement, it just doesn't work.

>40 -pilgrim-: I don't know what you mean by junk drawer or gallery. I looked around in LT, could not find either one. I really haven't experimented with LT much and I thought maybe that was how you were doing it, but I just don't see it.

>42 Karlstar: From Google Drive, right-click and choose 'get shareable link'. That will pop up a dialog box with the picture URL highlighted and a button to 'Copy Link'. Paste that between the double-quotes in your <img src=""> code.

>43 Karlstar: From LT home page, click 'Profile'. In the upper corner click on 'Your member gallery':


Click 'Add another picture' and make sure 'junk drawer' is selected:


Once the photo uploads, click it to bring up full-size. Then right-click, 'Copy Image Location', paste code per instruction above and... Bob's your uncle!

>40 -pilgrim-: >44 ScoLgo: Wow, that was super obvious, once you hit me over the head with it! I think I automatically tend to look for that sort of thing on the left hand side of the page, but there it is, right there on the top of the right hand page. Thanks much!!

Ok, here's the 'shelves', maybe some day I'll paint/stain the block. Thanks folks for the picture tips!

>46 Karlstar: That looks like a nice RPG collection. Do I spot some Rolemaster on the bottom shelf?

>47 -pilgrim-: Your eyes are sharp! Yes, there is some Middle-Earth roleplaying material, which at the time was based on Rolemaster. I think I have one basic rule book and 1 or 2 mods.

>48 Karlstar: Ah - my system of choice. Those were the days... I wish I could find people still playing it now.

>49 -pilgrim-: I think I played 2 or 3 times actually using the Rolemaster rules, I ran those mods modified for AD&D rules for my group. Rolemaster was ok, but I always preferred AD&D.

>50 Karlstar:, >49 -pilgrim-: I think my group back then looked at Rolemaster, but it never appealed. We were more likely to use BRP/CoC and then we got into GURPs (3rd edition). Oddly, I think what was off-putting was the idea of playing in Middle Earth; other literary and media settings were fair game for us, but never Middle Earth.

I played HârnMaster when we got to Cambridge - we did one scenario. It went well until the combat - a 10-round fight took the best part of an afternoon to play out (2-3 hours?), and the group as a whole said never again.

Funnily enough, I'm playing more in lockdown - my current game is Qin, we're about to play Tékumel (Empire of the Petal Throne) using the Béthorn ruleset, and sometime in the next couple of months we'll be starting an Artesia: Adventures in the Known World game. I also have the promise of a Liminal game for the online Garrison con; we were playing an online game last year.

>51 Maddz: I did like the way that Iron Crown handled the use of Middle Earth. Its default date was Third Age 1640 at least a thousand years clear of anything that Tolkien wrote more than a sentence or two about.

So you had the advantage of a world that most players knew (which prevents the issue of inappropriate behaviour through ignorance of environment) but with no possibility that anything they could do would diverge from canonical events. "It'll all be the same in a thousand years."

My preference is for a gaming system that is a realistic physical model, that promotes a realistic attitude towards the risk of injury, and allows players to work out what they want to do based on"real world" thinking, rather than "how can we optimise the game stats", and a setting that is not so grim that heroic action is unsurvivable.

I am fascinated that you are about to play Tékumel - I can across it years ago but have never met anyone Olson it before.

>52 -pilgrim-: Are you on The Gaming Tavern? https://www.gamingtavern.eu/index.php

Plenty of us grognards there ;)

(Sorry for derailing the thread with RPG discussions...)

>53 Maddz: Thank you that link.

>46 Karlstar: Very nice! I'm glad that I didn't see your plead for help before >44 ScoLgo: did because he answered it so nicely with visuals and all!

>51 Maddz: I tried a few systems back when I was in a gaming club, we made a point to play something different every week, like Ogre or Talisman or RPG's.

>53 Maddz: RPG discussions are good! I'd actually forgotten one shelf, it is across the room from the bookshelf in the picture, holding only a few books, mostly minis.

>55 MrsLee: He did and it was much appreciated!

https://smile.amazon.com/Hodedah-4-Shelve-Bookcase-Mahogany/dp/B06X96Q1LF/ref=sr...

Hodedah Import 4 Shelf Bookcase, Mahogany

Delivery: easy, didn't take too long, standard Amazon delivery, no problems at all. This is not heavy or large.

Assembly: by far the easiest of them all to assemble. You can see in the picture that it is held together by some brass colored screws, which protrude a bit on the outside, but look nice. Came with the standard allen wrench, of which I now have a large collection. The shelves slide into slots from the back, once the top and bottom are attached, though it makes more sense to do them before both are fully attached.

Opinion: I am only using this to hold a small lamp, and gaming miniatures (minis) on the top and upper 3 shelves, with books only on the bottom. It does have small plastic feet holding it off the ground, a little, but they were just basically large plastic tacks that hammered in wherever. It looks nice, holds minis nicely. Can't really say how it would do with books, but it is quite small, so it would probably hold up if stuffed with paperbacks.

Rating: 8 out of 10, I'll likely get another, seems a good value for the price.

>56 Karlstar: That's very similar to the type of bookcases I got way back when except mine are half the depth and have a plinth. The pre-drilled holes for the shelves mean the sides extend about 2" below the bottom shelf and there's a small bit that fits into the space. Mine also came with appropriate coloured screw-caps (although they tended to fall off).

This is the style: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6092122?clickSR=slp:term:white%20bookcase:1:34:1

Yours looks like these: https://www.homebase.co.uk/our-range/storage-and-home/furniture/living-room-furn...

Mine are about 65 cm wide:

You can see on this stack the 3-shelf sitting upside down on the 5 shelf to give a total of 9-shelves.


The 'main' library (ignore me - I took that for my LinkedIn profile which crops the image anyway). You see a couple of stacks of the old white shelves flanked by similar stacks of new pine shelves. The latter are solid wood and backless.

>57 Maddz: Those certainly look sturdy and for a good price. Very nice collection!