
The shelf doesn’t come with brackets, but multiple reviewers suggested they had success securing it to the wall with their own brackets. They give it an overall rating of 4.7 stars on the site, among 500 and growing reviews. The shelves are around 11.58 inches deep to fit most standard books.Īmazon reviewers report that the shelf is easy to assemble in about 45 minutes. The metal frame bisects the five shelves to split them into 10 storage areas and criss-crosses over the open sides and back to keep the books from falling out. Made from a combination of natural pine wood and metal that gives it an industrial look, the bookshelf can support a whopping 150 pounds per shelf (that’s around 30 pounds per running foot). If you want to buy fewer shelves while still covering a lot of the library wall, try this double bookshelf from LITTLE TREE which measures just over 58 inches wide and 70 inches tall. A Wide Bookshelf That Can Handle Lots Of Heavy Books Whether you’re creating a new home library or updating an existing one, these top-rated bookshelves will hold your collection with ease. Bookshelves are typically around 12 inches deep in order to fit standard novels and textbooks, which should be fine for most people, but if you don’t have any oversized books, you can get away with shelves around 10 inches deepįinally, make sure you pick bookshelves that would look nice in your space.

Adjustable shelves allow you to fit taller books if needed. While you should always anchor heavy furniture, wall-mounted shelves can look sleek while saving space. As far as vertical space goes, you’ll want to make the most of what you’ve got without sacrificing your ability to reach the books stashed up top - for most people, this means the tallest shelf should be between 72 and 78 inches high, though a cute step stool can provide a boost if needed. If you’re on a budget, you might opt for cheaper furniture with the knowledge that the shelves could sag over time, but wide, sturdy bookshelves can be a budget-friendly way to cover a lot of space. If you’re a paperback aficionado or just need a short-term storage solution, you shouldn’t require anything too heavy duty, but if you’re a hardcover fan or want your furniture to last, look for clues that the bookshelf is up to the job - a manufacturer-provided weight capacity can help you ensure that each shelf will hold the necessary 20 pounds per running foot, but a thick, solid construction and glowing user reviews can also provide insight.Ī true home library is likely to require more than one set of shelves, so be sure to measure your space carefully and note the dimensions of any shelves you’re considering to determine how many can fit.

A good bookshelf should easily and conveniently hold your collection, which means it should have closed sides or bars to keep books from sliding off the ends, and should be sturdy enough that it won’t buckle under the weight of all that literature. If your book collection is large enough to warrant a home library, you probably know that the best bookshelves for home libraries strike a balance between solid storage and simple, attractive design.
