Bookends
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Silver Plate
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Art Glass
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Metal
Early 20th Century British Art Deco Bookends
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Bookends
Spelter
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Siena Marble, Metal
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Silver Plate
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Chrome
Early 20th Century German Arts and Crafts Bookends
Metal
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Resin
Early 20th Century Austrian Moorish Bookends
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Bookends
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century Brutalist Bookends
Iron
1970s Korean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
20th Century Korean Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Bookends
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble
Early 20th Century European Art Deco Bookends
Glass, Wood
1980s Unknown Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Bookends
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Bookends
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Walnut
20th Century Unknown Post-Modern Bookends
Marble
1920s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Marble, Spelter
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
2010s Argentine Modern Bookends
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Bookends
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1940s German Black Forest Vintage Bookends
Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Brass
2010s Colombian Other Bookends
Stone
Early 20th Century European Art Deco Bookends
Metal
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
1930s Dutch Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Ceramic
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Ceramic
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Metal
1920s German Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Wood, Nutwood, Walnut
1930s European Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Wood
Late 19th Century American Grand Tour Antique Bookends
Bronze
2010s Bookends
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Amethyst
1950s German American Craftsman Vintage Bookends
Brass
2010s British Bookends
Aluminum
2010s Spanish Modern Bookends
Stone, Slate
2010s Argentine Modern Bookends
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s French Art Deco Bookends
Belgian Black Marble, Metal
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Leather
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Beech
1920s Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Onyx, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Bookends
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Wood
20th Century French Bookends
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Expressionist Bookends
Paper
1960s Vintage Bookends
Iron
2010s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Bookends
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Bookends
Plaster
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Metal
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Bookends
Travertine, Marble
2010s Argentine Modern Bookends
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Bookends
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Iron
Late 19th Century Chinese Late Victorian Antique Bookends
Marble
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Copper, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Bookends
Wood
2010s American Organic Modern Bookends
Bronze
20th Century Unknown Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Bookends
Brass
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.