Want to know how to make a Book in Minecraft? Books are very important, as you will need them to enchant your armour and weapons with various effects. You can also make pretty bookshelves to spruce up your home, if you aren’t interested in becoming an all-powerful wizard.
This guide will walk you through everything that you need to know to make a Book in Minecraft, including how to get Paper and Leather, which you will need.
On this page:
- How to make a Book in Minecraft
- How to get Leather in Minecraft
- How to get Paper in Minecraft
- How to use Books in Minecraft
- How to make Bookshelves in Minecraft
- How to make a Book and Quill in Minecraft
How to make a Book in Minecraft
You can craft Books very early in Minecraft, as you only need a few simple ingredients. To make a Book, you need a piece of Leather and 3 pieces of Paper.
When you have the ingredients necessary, head to a Crafting Table and place the ingredients into the grid. These can be placed in any order, such as:
If you need more help getting Leather and Paper, check the section below for tips.
How to get Leather in Minecraft
Leather is one of the most common items in Minecraft. You can get Leather by killing Cows, which you will probably do when looking for food on your first night.
It isn’t guaranteed that Cows will drop Leather when they die, so keep hunting until you find some.
How to get Paper in Minecraft
Unlike Leather, Paper isn't easy to find naturally in the world. It can spawn in chests in Villages, Shipwrecks, and Strongholds, but they aren't a guaranteed spawn and you would need to find one of these locations first. Fortunately, you can craft Paper very easily using Sugar Cane.
Sugar Cane can be found along the edges of water, so look for lakes and rivers as you explore. When you’ve got some Sugar Cane, you can use it to make Paper by crafting in the following pattern:
When you have Paper, you can combine it with Sugar Cane to make a Book, or with a Compass to make a Map.
How to use Books in Minecraft
Enchanting Tables allow you to place enchantments on most items. However, there are some combinations that require an Enchanted Book.
For example, to get the Sharpness enchantment on an Axe, you need to enchant a Book with Sharpness and then combine it with your Axe in an Anvil.
To enchant a Book, simply pop it on an Enchanting Table and choose the enchantment that you want.
How to make Bookshelves in Minecraft
If you want to access higher level enchantments, you need to surround your Enchanting Table with Bookshelves. These can be made by combining Books and Wooden Planks in the following order:
Each Bookshelf increases the level of Enchantments that you can access by 2, so you need to make a total of 15 to unlock level 30 Enchantments, which is the highest level available.
If you aren’t looking to enchant your items, Books are still useful. Take some to a Village and look for Librarian Villagers who are willing to trade. There is a chance that they will offer an Emerald in exchange for 4 Books. If you want to increase the amount of Emeralds you get from the Librarian, you can use a Book to make a Book and Quill. You only need to sell two of these to get an Emerald, making the Book and Quill twice as valuable as a normal Book.
How to make a Book and Quill in Minecraft
To make a Book and Quill, you need to combine a Book, Feather, and an Ink Sac at a Crafting Table. These can be placed in any shape, so there's no need to worry about the order.
Ink Sacs can be obtained by killing a Squid, which are commonly found in the ocean. You can get a Feather by killing a Chicken, which are very common in the Overworld, just like Cows. Both of these are passive Mobs, so they will not turn hostile when you attack them.
Once you've made your Book and Quill, you can take it to a Librarian to sell it. However, these aren't only included as a trading item. You can also use a Book and Quill as an ingame notepad. Whether you want to keep a diary, record some coordinates, or even write a fun story in Minecraft, it's all possible with a Book and Quill.
That’s all the information you will need to make a Book in Minecraft. If you want to dive further into Minecraft magic, check out our Minecraft Potions guide. You can also check out our best Minecraft Texture Packs and our best Minecraft Shaders list to give your Books a whole new look!