We Found the Best Bookshelves You Can Get Delivered Right to Your House

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Buying furniture online can be a mixed bag. Maybe you’ve been burned after ordering a storage bin you really need, only to find yourself replacing it in a year or two due to crappy construction or low-quality materials. That’s all the more disappointing when it’s a hard-to-move piece, like a bookshelf filled up with a treasure trove of books, magazines, photo frames, or trinkets.

Since a bookshelf can be one of the central pieces of furniture in any given room, it’s important to find one that’s as visually pleasing as it is sturdy and functional and avoid buyer’s remorse. From inexpensive floating shelves to handsome teak or acacia pieces, there are thousands of bookshelves on the market to suit your space and give your beloved hardbacks a home.

We understand the intersection of quality and value when it comes to products like bookshelves, prioritizing options that’ll look nice, last ages, and hold all of your items without collapsing. Moreover, we’ve vetted hundreds of shelves that you can buy online, and gathered some tips on how to avoid investing in flimsy, cheap-looking furniture.

As book lovers, we used our own experiences with buying bookshelves online to make sure these picks are functional for a variety of book sizes, items, and spaces. Check out our top picks below, then scroll to the bottom for advice on finding a great bookshelf you can feel confident in ordering without getting to examine it in person first.

Looking for more home furniture recommendations? Read our guides to the best TV stands, fireplace TV stands, and mattresses.

Mid-Century Ladder Bookshelf

Ladder-style shelves became popular a few years ago because they achieve that polished look without commanding attention. Plus, the shelves of varying depths are handy for storing a variety of items. In the case of this West Elm set, for instance, you can fit records on the bottom shelf and trinkets on the top.

We also appreciate the thoughtful construction of this bookshelf, which has solid wood legs for sturdiness and engineered wood shelves, which cut down on cost. Moreover, there’s a slew of matching furniture from West Elm that’ll make your living room or bedroom look put together from the jump.

While we don’t recommend ladder-style shelves for storing a massive library—the open sides and differing shelf depths make it a poor use of the space—this is a great option if you want to store books alongside blankets, toys, or knick-knacks.

Frey Two-Tone Standard Bookcase

If you need to fit your bookcase under a window sill or beside a child’s bed, this Isabelle & Max shelf is a great pick. It’s made almost entirely of solid pine wood, which is surprising considering the affordability. And at just over 2 feet tall, the bookshelf has enough room for a small library—just keep in mind that the shelves are only 9 inches deep. That’s plenty deep for the average paperback but might get tight for hardcovers, coffee table books, or picture books if you’re placing this in a kid’s room.

We love that you can buy a few of these to create a long, low bookshelf across an entire wall, but the visible hardware on the sides is a bit disappointing.

Thelen Solid Wood Corner Bookshelf

This affordable bookshelf is made entirely of solid wood—plus it folds flat for moving or storing. The Thelen is an excellent option if you have an awkward corner and nothing to do with it, and you can even stack two of them if you take care to set the wall anchors up properly.

Although it only has three shelves, the low height means you can use the top surface to store a plant or some extra books. We like the natural wood grain on this bookshelf, but you can get it in black, too.

Shaker Style 6-Shelf Solid Wood Bookcase

For a classic bookshelf style, this Camaflexi is a solid option. It has an attractive finish despite this being pine, and the closed back and sides are great for storing many books without them falling. This shelf comes in several heights, which is nice for furnishing an entire room with multiple shelves.

The design itself is modern, and Camaflexi urges customers to try putting a few of these next to each other for that library-like feel. It also comes in white, and each bookshelf has four adjustable and two fixed shelves.

Cotu Bookshelf

It’s unfortunate that Article furniture is so often on backorder, because it really is a good deal for what you get. This mid-century modern design is eye-catching and upscale, but still rings in under $1,000—impressive considering it’s solid walnut.

With plenty of room for books and other items, this shelf is as attractive as it is functional. We love the guardrails along the side to keep your books in place, and while none of these shelves are adjustable, that isn’t necessarily a drawback considering the simplistic and symmetrical design.

Distressed Brown Metal 5-Shelf Bookcase

If you’re into the industrial look, this bookshelf is probably right up your alley. It has a visible metal pipe frame, which makes it look homemade but also elegant, and the deep shelves are ideal for large items like records and blankets.

While the open back is a negative for some, since it means smaller items can fall behind the shelf, it does make for a sleek look that lets your wall color come through. Most importantly, this shelf is incredibly sturdy because of its heft and the cross-banded supports on the back.

How to Buy a Bookshelf Online

Gauge the Materials

While buying furniture online can feel like a crapshoot, paying attention to materials makes it a lot easier to tell whether your new shelf is going to last for one or ten years. For a high-quality bookshelf, look for a mix of solid wood and manufactured wood. (Entirely solid wood is even better, but this gets costly and heavy to move.) Many of the bookshelves we recommend have solid wood frames and manufactured wood shelves to save on cost.

Some very inexpensive options are completely made of manufactured wood (think Ikea’s ubiquitous Billy shelf), which works fine but doesn’t stand up to decades of wear and tear, whereas solid wood can virtually last a lifetime. These cheap bookshelves usually come with a plywood panel to hammer into the back—don’t skip this step as it’s one of the only ways to add stability to your shelf.

Even the cheapest bookshelves we recommend come with solid shelf holders, especially in the case of adjustable shelves—plastic holders aren’t nearly as durable as metal ones, for instance.

Consider Size and Installation

Keep the height and width of your books in mind before placing an order. For instance, if you plan on storing records, look for shelves that are at least 1 foot deep. Romance paperback fanatics, however, can make do with less.

Perhaps the most recognizable bookshelf style is tall and narrow—if you choose one like this, make sure to place heavy items on the bottom shelves and use the included (by law) safety anchors to attach the shelf to your wall. You might need a stud finder to place the anchors properly, which is extremely important for heavy, solid wood bookshelves or shelves where you’ll store heavy items.

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