Put the Book Back on the Shelf

Who would I be without my bookshelves? A mere shell. My bookshelves have stood sturdily by me through apartments, friendships, relationships, and the phase where I bought a lot of oversized hardcover graphic novels (coughINTHESHADOWOFNOTOWERScough).

I love my big heavy Swedish wooden bookshelves like dear, clumsy friends. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be thrilled to receive any of the 20 Brilliant Bookcases listed on Incredible Things. Here are my favorites:


YES! Awesome. Who wouldn't want this? However, why did they photograph it like the shelf is floating in space? That baby is going to fall out and crack her skull. Also, this person only owns red medical dictionaries.


This makes my head hurt a little bit, and I think I would prefer it not in pink, but it's the perfect Southern California bookshelf. And they stack like Legos! These would be cool in a kid's room.


Woah! M.C. Escher wishes he owned this bookshelf. Obviously this is great and would be a good conversation piece at boring parties, but wouldn't you have to tilt your head in 9 different directions to pick out the book you wanted? Form: 10, Function: 6.


Never again will anyone be confused about what exactly that thing holding your books is, because this will literally SPELL IT OUT FOR THEM. Of course I love this because it is in the pun family (even though it's only like a pun second cousin). It also doesn't look super practical, and you could probably only put a few small books in it, but it's perfectly twee.


You may be thinking "What could possibly be better than the shelf that spells "Shelf" and the answer is THIS GUY! If this bookshelf was available for purchase I would be there is a second, but unfortunately it is only a prototype on a website that is entirely in Japanese. But if the day ever comes when these are commerically available, I will buy 50 of them and sell them out of the office.