Bookends
20th Century Unknown American Colonial Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Stone, Metal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
Early 20th Century Bookends
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Bookends
Iron
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble
20th Century Unknown American Classical Bookends
Brass
1920s Chinese Vintage Bookends
Soapstone
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Ceramic
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Lucite
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Bookends
Wood
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Metal
1960s French Vintage Bookends
Slate, Bronze
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Wood
1920s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bookends
Bronze
1920s Belgian Arts and Crafts Vintage Bookends
Brass
1970s Italian Renaissance Revival Vintage Bookends
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Iron, Gold
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Alabaster, Spelter
Early 20th Century Art Deco Bookends
Copper
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Chrome, Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Travertine
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Spelter
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Spelter
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Metal
1970s Korean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Bookends
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Lucite
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Ceramic, Pottery
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Ceramic, Pottery
Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Bookends
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble, Bronze
1910s German Art Nouveau Vintage Bookends
Metal
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Ceramic, Pottery
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Oak
1920s French Vintage Bookends
Marble, Brass, Spelter
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Ceramic, Pottery
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Bookends
Marble
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Zinc
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Modern Bookends
Teak
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Brass, Copper
Late 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Bookends
Other
1990s North American Post-Modern Bookends
Lucite
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Art Glass
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Bookends
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Stone, Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Bookends
Resin
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Teak
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Early 20th Century American American Craftsman Bookends
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.