Bookcase facts for kids
A bookcase (also called a bookshelf) is a special piece of furniture designed to hold books. You can find them in many different sizes, from a small shelf for a few books to a huge one that covers an entire wall! Libraries use lots of bookcases to store their huge collections of books on all sorts of topics.
Contents
The History of Bookcases
Early Ways to Store Books
Long ago, before printing presses, books were written by hand. This meant there weren't many copies of each book. People often kept these valuable books in small boxes or chests. They could even carry these boxes with them when they traveled!
As more books and handwritten papers (called manuscripts) were made, people needed better ways to store them. They started putting them on shelves or inside cupboards. Over time, the doors were removed from these cupboards, and they began to look much like the open bookcases we use today.
Revolving Bookcases in China
Did you know that some of the earliest special bookcases were found in ancient China? These were amazing revolving bookcases! They are mentioned in Chinese writings from the 700s and 800s. These spinning bookcases were very popular in Buddhist monasteries during the Song Dynasty (which lasted from 960 to 1279 AD). An old book called Yingzao Fashi by Li Jie even shows a picture of one!
Oldest Bookcases in England
In England, some of the very oldest bookcases that are still around today can be found at the famous Bodleian Library. This library is part of Oxford University. These old bookcases were put there around the late 1500s.
Images for kids
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Composite columns of a bookshelf from the Bibliothèque Mazarine (Paris)
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Household bookshelf arranged by color
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Bookcase in the Tianyi Chamber, the oldest extant library in China
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A 12th-century illustration of a revolving bookcase for Buddhist scriptures as depicted in Li Jie's architectural treatise the Yingzao Fashi
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Parallel arrangement of bookshelves
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Mobile aisle shelving
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Advertisement for barrister's bookcases, marketed here as "sectional bookcases", by Globe Wernicke, 1913
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Books in a bookshelf in Norway
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See also
In Spanish: Estantería para niños
