Owl Bookends
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Iron
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Blown Glass
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Bookends
Wood
Vintage 1970s American Bookends
Metal
20th Century Bookends
Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Blown Glass
Vintage 1960s Spanish Folk Art Bookends
Fruitwood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Swiss Black Forest Bookends
Glass, Oak
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster
Vintage 1930s German Art Deco Bookends
Wood
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Wood
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Steel
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Brass
Early 20th Century Dutch Arts and Crafts Bookends
Metal, Iron
Vintage 1970s British Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Oak
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Bookends
Bronze
Early 20th Century German Arts and Crafts Bookends
Metal
Recent Sales
Mid-20th Century American Animal Sculptures
Brass
Antique Early 1900s European Bookends
Pine
Vintage 1920s Dutch Art Deco Bookends
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Aluminum
Antique Early 1900s American Bookends
Ceramic
20th Century American Bookends
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Blown Glass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
Antique Late 19th Century American Folk Art Bookends
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Bookends
Alabaster, Carrara Marble
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Blown Glass
Vintage 1950s Japanese Brutalist Bookends
Iron
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Animal Sculptures
Early 20th Century Italian Decorative Objects
Glass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble, Brass, Bronze
20th Century American Bookends
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Bookends
Alabaster
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Bookends
Bronze
Vintage 1970s French Brutalist Bookends
Bronze
Antique Early 1900s German Black Forest Books
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Bookends
Teak
20th Century Bookends
Brass
Vintage 1960s Bookends
Marble
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Carrara Marble
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Iron
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass, Art Glass
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Metal, Copper
Vintage 1950s Bookends
Carrara Marble
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Bookends
Resin
Vintage 1960s Korean Brutalist Bookends
Metal
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Bookends
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Composition
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Paperweights
Stone, Alabaster, Marble
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Marble
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Blown Glass
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Early 20th Century German Arts and Crafts Bookends
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Aluminum
Vintage 1970s French Hollywood Regency Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Iron
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Alabaster
Early 20th Century German Arts and Crafts Bookends
Metal
Mid-20th Century European Bookends
Wood
Early 20th Century European Gothic Revival Bookends
Oak
Mid-20th Century Hong Kong Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Bronze
Early 20th Century German Bookends
Metal
Early 20th Century European Arts and Crafts Bookends
Wood
Early 20th Century English Victorian Bookends
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century European Gothic Revival Bookends
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century European Animal Sculptures
Clay
Vintage 1970s Korean Hollywood Regency Animal Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Alabaster, Marble
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Glass
Vintage 1920s English Art Deco Bookends
Pottery
Owl Bookends For Sale on 1stDibs
Finding the Right Bookends for You
A good pair of antique, new or vintage bookends will look wonderful in your reading nook. And the need for these trusty home accents has stood the test of time, which means there are many different kinds to suit any design taste or furniture style.
Bookends weren’t created until the 1870s. Serving faithfully in the background, they went unobserved for a while. The authors of the Oxford English Dictionary report that the term “book end” didn’t appear in printed material until 1907. The primary function of bookends is to ensure that your books remain upright in your bookcase, but style and form have taken the lead over the years. Furniture makers have ensured that bookends demand as much attention as the books themselves. Indeed, while competing with carefully curated first editions or rows of colorful spines is no small task, plenty of bookends steal the stage.
If you’re looking to add a dose of intrigue or decorative flourish to your reading room that will be difficult to ignore, stone bookends and metal bookends can take on the appearance of small, provocative sculptures rather than functional accessories to keep your books orderly on your shelves. Depending on what kind of textures you’re thinking of introducing to your home office or study, a pair of brass bookends or a bronze set will pop against your dusty hardcovers and any decorative objects you’ve accumulated while working to style your bookcase. A pair of mid-century modern bookends carved from dark, exotic woods such as teak can also introduce warmth to a home office or study. While teak was a favorite of designers who worked with furniture in the mid-20th century, all manner of wood bookends have emerged over the years, with some woodworkers carving ornate patterns or figures into their pieces.
Bookworms, take note: You can find an extraordinary range of antique, new and vintage bookends for your dazzling book displays and bookshelves today on 1stDibs.
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