Five of Our Favorite Bookshelves on Etsy

Most readers can build worlds in their minds from simply reading the words on a page. But, sometimes they are not so good a building practical things to store their volumes of words. Some readers know what a hammer is in theory and how it is used in the context of Thor, but they’ve never picked one up at the local hardware store.

What do you do if you want that homemade touch to your bookshelf, but don’t know the difference between flat and phillips head screws? You turn to Etsy.

Thankfully bookshelf creating experts can be found all over Etsy selling their wares. They range from the tiny and cute, to the massive and impractical. What makes it even better is that many of these helpful craftspeople can custom make your shelf to almost any dimension you want. Just not the 4th dimension, they haven’t figured that one out yet.

Here’s a look at some of our favorite bookshelves you can buy on Etsy right now.

This industrial pipe bookshelf is the easiest way to get that steampunk feel into your airship inspired lair. The installation looks simple enough and it will easily hold up your copies of Android Karenina, Johanne Cabal the Detective, Boneshaker, and every novel by Jules Verne.

Now, if there was some way to make it hiss steam from the ends, it would be perfect.

Spice racks are a pretty common sight in the kitchen, but what about a hanging book rack for your cookbooks? You can keep them up an out of the way of spraying batter and the inevitable grease fire. You wouldn’t want to singe their pages now would you? The sturdy hangers let you read the book while it hangs and can even save the pages of your favorite recipe.

Doctor Seuss probably had a house full of these little guys. This bookshelf looks like it had an unfortunate accident with a blowtorch and is not making like a slightly soggy Wicked Witch of the West. No matter though, because each of your books that feature a slightly wobbly sense of reality will be quite comfortable on these slightly skewed shelves.

Stacking books is almost as precarious as stacking tea cups. But, the Mad Hatter would approve of this beautifully designed bookshelf. It’s the perfect place to house all your editions of Alice in Wonderland. It is whimsical while still being somewhat practical.

This handmade shelf looks like it would be the perfect home for any book with a tenuous hold on reality. It looks to be the perfect place for all of your Arkham Horror expansions, H.P. Lovecraft stories, and papier mache models of Cthulu. All hail the elder bookshelf, houser of the dark and twisted doorway to the literary abyss.

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