Bookends
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Copper
Late 20th Century American Bookends
Bronze
1870s French Napoleon III Antique Bookends
Gold, Bronze
1940s Danish Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Metal
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Bookends
Travertine, Marble
Early 20th Century German Art Deco Bookends
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century French Egyptian Revival Bookends
Ceramic
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass, Art Glass
Early 20th Century Bookends
Brass
1970s French Space Age Vintage Bookends
Lucite
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Bookends
Iron
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Bookends
Alabaster
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Bookends
Aluminum
1890s Chinese Qing Antique Bookends
Jade, Brass
Mid-17th Century Anglo-Indian Antique Bookends
Brass
19th Century French Victorian Antique Bookends
Silver
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Expressionist Bookends
Paper
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Art Glass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Copper
20th Century Bookends
Wood
Early 20th Century American Bookends
Iron
2010s Austrian Bookends
Brass
1950s French Vintage Bookends
Spelter
1920s Italian Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Art Glass, Wood
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Lucite
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Stone, Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
Early 20th Century Unknown Victorian Bookends
Wood
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Bookends
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Chrome
1930s Belgian Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Metal
Early 20th Century South African Bookends
Bone, Wood
Early 20th Century Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Bookends
Petrified Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Lucite
1970s Unknown Hollywood Regency Vintage Bookends
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Bookends
Brass
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Bronze
1880s English Victorian Antique Bookends
Leather
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Bookends
Aluminum
1930s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Bookends
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Zinc
Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Bookends
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Bookends
Bronze
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Iron
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Marble
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.