Bookcases

Bookcases for books, not just for display

A bookcase is what you buy when things need somewhere to live and stay there. Books are heavy, and a three foot run of hardbacks passes forty pounds easily, so the shelves have to be built for it. You will find fixed and adjustable shelves here, open backs and closed, doors and none.

Heights run 15.7 to 91.1 inches and widths 11.6 to 91.8. Under 40 inches a case sits below the window line and reads as furniture; over 70 it draws the eye up and makes a tall room feel deliberate. Adjustable shelves let one case take paperbacks, folios and box files without wasting the gap above every row.

Bookshelf depth, and what will actually fit

Depth decides where a case can go, and it is the measurement people forget. These run 9.3 to 22.4 inches. Around ten to twelve is standard and takes a hardback with room to spare. Slimmer cases slip into a hallway or behind a door where a standard one would block the way past. Deeper cases suit box files and folded blankets as much as books.

Doors keep the dust off and the visual noise down, and glass fronts let you see the spines while doing it. Several have integrated LED lighting, which turns a dark alcove into something you can actually read the shelves in.

Anchoring a bookshelf to the wall

Fix any tall case to the wall before you load it. Anchor into a stud rather than drywall alone, because a drywall fixing pulls through under exactly the weight that matters. Fit the strap taut, not slack. It matters most on tall narrow cases and in any room a child uses, since a loaded top shelf pulls the weight forward. Many of these include anti-tip hardware.

Care is dusting more than cleaning. Take the books off a shelf at a time, and wipe with a barely damp cloth on wood or mild soap on a coated finish.

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