Bookends
20th Century Unknown Victorian Bookends
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble
1930s Unknown Rustic Vintage Bookends
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Onyx, Marble, Carrara Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Bookends
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
1970s Italian Egyptian Revival Vintage Bookends
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Bookends
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Iron
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Wood
2010s French Art Deco Bookends
Belgian Black Marble, Metal
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Spelter
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Teak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Resin
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Amethyst
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Bookends
Iron
Mid-20th Century Balinese Folk Art Bookends
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Teak
1950s Taiwanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Spelter
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Metal
1970s Vintage Bookends
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Wood
20th Century Balinese Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Spelter
Mid-20th Century Korean Bookends
Brass
1960s Vintage Bookends
Marble, Brass
1990s Post-Modern Bookends
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Spelter
Mid-20th Century Mexican Folk Art Bookends
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Post-Modern Bookends
Onyx
20th Century Modern Bookends
Art Glass, Wood
Late 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Bronze
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Chrome, Iron
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Bronze, Chrome
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Bookends
Bronze
Mid-20th Century African Tribal Bookends
Wood, Ebony
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Bookends
Bronze
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Crystal
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Late 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Bronze
2010s Australian Modern Bookends
Bronze
20th Century French Bookends
Marble, Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Leather
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Bookends
Glass
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Stone, Marble, Metal, Bronze, Copper
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Bronze
Antique, New and Vintage Bookends
A good pair of antique, new or vintage bookends will look wonderful in your reading nook. And the need for these trusty home accents has stood the test of time, which means there are many different kinds to suit any design taste or furniture style.
Bookends weren’t created until the 1870s. Serving faithfully in the background, they went unobserved for a while. The authors of the Oxford English Dictionary report that the term “book end” didn’t appear in printed material until 1907. The primary function of bookends is to ensure that your books remain upright in your bookcase, but style and form have taken the lead over the years. Furniture makers have ensured that bookends demand as much attention as the books themselves. Indeed, while competing with carefully curated first editions or rows of colorful spines is no small task, plenty of bookends steal the stage.
If you’re looking to add a dose of intrigue or decorative flourish to your reading room that will be difficult to ignore, stone bookends and metal bookends can take on the appearance of small, provocative sculptures rather than functional accessories to keep your books orderly on your shelves. Depending on what kind of textures you’re thinking of introducing to your home office or study, a pair of brass bookends or a bronze set will pop against your dusty hardcovers and any decorative objects you’ve accumulated while working to style your bookcase. A pair of mid-century modern bookends carved from dark, exotic woods such as teak can also introduce warmth to a home office or study. While teak was a favorite of designers who worked with furniture in the mid-20th century, all manner of wood bookends have emerged over the years, with some woodworkers carving ornate patterns or figures into their pieces.
Bookworms, take note: You can find an extraordinary range of antique, new and vintage bookends for your dazzling book displays and bookshelves today on 1stDibs.