Bookends
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Belgian Black Marble, Brass, Bronze
1850s Italian Grand Tour Antique Bookends
Plaster
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
1920s American Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Chrome
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Walnut
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Ceramic, Pottery
1970s Unknown Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Onyx
1990s American Modern Bookends
Onyx
Late 20th Century Swedish Rustic Bookends
Wood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Bronze, Metal, Copper
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Steel, Chrome
1920s American Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Iron
20th Century Spanish Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Alabaster
20th Century American American Classical Bookends
Iron
2010s Colombian Other Bookends
Stone
20th Century Mexican Bohemian Bookends
Stone
20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
15th Century and Earlier American Mid-Century Modern Antique Bookends
Rock Crystal
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
2010s Italian Bookends
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Organic Modern Bookends
Ceramic, Pottery
Early 20th Century Bookends
Brass
20th Century American Bookends
Marble
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Ebony
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Bookends
Iron
2010s French Art Deco Bookends
Belgian Black Marble, Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Composition
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Pewter
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Bookends
Onyx
1970s Vintage Bookends
Fruitwood
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Oak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Art Glass
1960s Vintage Bookends
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bookends
Ceramic, Pottery
19th Century Spanish Other Antique Bookends
Wood
19th Century European Baroque Antique Bookends
Wood
2010s Colombian Other Bookends
Stone
1930s Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Stone, Marble
20th Century American Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
2010s Argentine Modern Bookends
Stone, Onyx, Metal
1990s Italian Post-Modern Bookends
Marble
Mid-20th Century Modern Bookends
Copper
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Bookends
Marble, Spelter
Mid-20th Century Asian Bookends
Pine
1960s Spanish Hollywood Regency Vintage Bookends
Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Bookends
Metal
1970s Spanish Hollywood Regency Vintage Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Bookends
Marble, Spelter
Early 20th Century American 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.