Bookend
Encyclopedia
A bookend is an object that is designed to buttress
, or support, an upright row of book
s. It is placed on either end to prevent books from falling over, such as in a half-filled bookshelf. Bookends are both utilitarian and, often, decorative. They are common in libraries
and in homes. Heavy bookends have been used for centuries; the simple sheetmetal bookend was originally patented in the 1870s, and uses the weight of the books themselves to make an anchor.
Bookends can be an important consideration in home decor. Some bookends are made of bronze
, marble
, wood
and even large geode
s. Elaborate and decorative bookends are not uncommon.
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
, or support, an upright row of book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s. It is placed on either end to prevent books from falling over, such as in a half-filled bookshelf. Bookends are both utilitarian and, often, decorative. They are common in libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and in homes. Heavy bookends have been used for centuries; the simple sheetmetal bookend was originally patented in the 1870s, and uses the weight of the books themselves to make an anchor.
Bookends can be an important consideration in home decor. Some bookends are made of bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
and even large geode
Geode
Geodes are geological secondary sedimentary structures which occur in sedimentary and certain volcanic rocks. Geodes are essentially spherical masses of mineral matter that were deposited sygenetically within the rock formations they are found in. Geodes have a Chalcedony shell containing...
s. Elaborate and decorative bookends are not uncommon.