A chiseled bookshelf actually holds your books, six to a shelf, and reports which slot you touched to redstone. That makes it a tidy library and the key to hidden bookshelf doors. Tap a slot below.
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signal strength
A comparator reads the last slot you touched
Right-click a slot to add or take a book. A comparator outputs the last slot you touched.
The recipe
Planks on the top and bottom rows, wooden slabs through the middle.
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Chiseled Bookshelf
Any wood works, as long as the planks and slabs match. Need books to fill it? See how to make a book.
How the slots work
It has six slots. Aim at one and right-click to slide a book in, or to pull the book in that slot back out. It accepts any of these:
Book
Book & Quill
Written Book
Enchanted Book
The redstone trick
Put a comparator against the bookshelf and it outputs a signal equal to the last slot you used, one through six. Builders use that to open hidden bookshelf doors when a specific book is pulled, or to sort and track books.
Chiseled vs normal bookshelf
Normal bookshelf
Pure decoration, and it powers up a nearby enchanting table. You cannot put anything in it or take it back out as books.
Chiseled bookshelf
Stores up to six books you can add and remove per slot, and outputs a redstone signal. It does not boost enchanting tables.
Quick answers
How do you make a chiseled bookshelf?
Put three planks across the top row, three wooden slabs across the middle, and three planks across the bottom: six planks and three slabs of any one wood.
What books can it hold?
Up to six of any book item: plain books, books and quills, written books and enchanted books, one per slot.
How does the redstone signal work?
A comparator next to the bookshelf outputs a number equal to the last slot you put a book in or took one out of, from one to six. That is what drives hidden bookshelf doors.
Does it boost enchanting like a normal bookshelf?
No. Only normal bookshelves power up an enchanting table. The chiseled one is for storage, redstone and decoration.
How many books fit?
Six, one in each visible slot. Aim at the slot you want and right-click to add or remove just that book.
Can I read the books from it?
Yes. Take a written book or enchanted book back out of its slot and use it as normal; the shelf just holds them.
The chiseled bookshelf holds six books and shows exactly which slots are full on the front of the block. That visibility is the point: an ordinary chest hides its contents, while a wall of chiseled bookshelves tells you at a glance which enchantments you have already filed away.
A comparator reads the last slot touched
Point a comparator at it and the signal strength tells you which slot you last put a book into or took one out of. That gives you sixteen distinguishable states from one block, which is why chiseled bookshelves show up in combination locks and hidden doors far more often than in libraries.
It does not power an enchanting table
Unlike a normal bookshelf, a chiseled one gives no enchanting power, so replacing your enchanting room walls with them will quietly cost you levels. Keep the plain shelves around the table and use the chiseled ones for the books you are storing.
Book
Book & Quill
Written Book
Enchanted Book
Bookshelf
Redstone