How to Make a Book in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft a book with 3 paper and 1 leather placed anywhere in the crafting grid: the recipe is shapeless. Books feed bookshelves, book and quills and enchanted-book storage.

What you need

3 paper (from 3 sugar cane)
1 leather

Step by step

Gather sugar cane from riverbanks and craft it into paper: 3 sugar cane in a row make 3 paper.
Kill cows or horses for leather, or fish leather up as junk.
Open a crafting table (or your 2x2 inventory grid).
Place 3 paper and 1 leather anywhere in the grid: the recipe is shapeless.
Take the book.
Craft in bulk: an enchanting setup with 15 bookshelves costs 45 books total.

Java vs Bedrock

The book recipe is shapeless and identical in Java and Bedrock: 3 paper plus 1 leather anywhere in the grid. Books are the base ingredient for bookshelves (6 planks + 3 books), book and quills (book + ink sac + feather) and chiseled bookshelves, and librarian villagers buy them for emeralds. You can also get books without crafting: breaking a bookshelf drops 3 books, so raiding village libraries and stronghold libraries is the fastest way to stock up early. Disenchanting a regular book on a grindstone is pointless, but enchanted books are a different item entirely.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

How many books do you need for a full enchanting table setup?

45 books. A maxed enchanting table needs 15 bookshelves, and each bookshelf costs 3 books, so 15 x 3 = 45. That is 135 paper and 45 leather in raw materials.

Can you get books without leather in Minecraft?

Yes. Break bookshelves in villages, stronghold libraries or woodland mansions: each shelf drops 3 books. Books also appear in shipwreck, stronghold and village chest loot, and you can barter or trade for enchanted ones.

What do librarian villagers trade for books?

Novice librarians buy 24 books for 1 emerald in current versions. Librarians also sell enchanted books for emeralds plus a regular book, which is the backbone of most trading-hall enchantment setups.