Decorative Bookends

Collecting a variety of bookends will add personality to bookshelves.

Alone or used in pairs, bookends inject a personal touch into bookcases. In three short years, my dear husband has managed to add dozens of hardbacks to five beautifully accessorized bookcases in our library hallway.  While books should always be the main attraction in a bookcase, I enjoy using space to display family pieces and travel mementos. So before our shelves become a cluttered mess, we are adding five more to the adjacent hallway. Plenty of space for his books and my cherished possessions.

Our travel “section” includes a vintage camera used as a bookend to keep books in place. A porcelain horse head bookend owned by my mother as a teenager is one of my favorite pieces.  I collect European architectural etchings, so when I saw the single bookend of Jane Austen’s house in Bath I was intrigued. Each signed piece is created by artist Timothy Richards, who uses materials such as plaster, lead, acid-etched brass, glass and copper or gold leaf. I find myself watching the windows, waiting for someone to turn on a light.

Be sure to include a pair of vintage bookends to your collection. Whatever your passions, you can always count on Ruby Lane to have a large inventory. Being the dog lover that I am, these Scotty Dog bookends were too cute to pass up.

I love the visual textures represented in the faux antique leather bound books. The weathered covers and dog-eared pages convincingly replicate well-loved novels.

A selection from the Smithsonian Store features Chinese Scholars. This hand-painted porcelain pair would also make a lovely addition to the mantel.

The sleek bookends Pushing and Leaning are sold in identical pairs, so if you want them as shown you will need to order a pair of each. Keep a set for yourself and add the others to your gift stash, or you can start marking names off your holiday list.  Whether vintage or new, decorative bookends are a fun and useful collection.

(Sources: Timothy Richards, Ruby Lane, Wrapables, Smithsonian Store)

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