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How to make a Minecraft book

Everything about how to make a Minecraft book, as well as maps, and banner patterns with paper, and how to write in books using ink sacs and feathers.

A Minecraft book on the backdrop of minecraft bookshelves.

How do you make a Minecraft book? Books can be used for enchanting and crafting, or even to make your own Minecraft enchanting table and a lovingly crafted bookshelf to accompany it.

Books can also be enchanted with Minecraft enchanting tables, and combined with a Minecraft anvil, they can enchant other items, such as your weapons or your Minecraft shield.  So without further ado, here is how to make a Minecraft book in one of the best PC games, and how to get the materials required to do so.

Minecraft book - The book recipe in Minecraft. Place some leather in the centre square, then place two paper either side and one underneath.

How to make a Minecraft book

Here’s what you’ll need to make a Minecraft book.

  • 3x paper
  • 1x leather

You’ll need to place one piece of paper in the bottom left-hand corner of the crafting grid and the leather to its right in the middle of the bottom row. Then, place the remaining two pieces of paper in the two slots above them on the left-hand side of the middle row.

Minecraft book - The recipe for creating paper in Minecraft, which is needed to make books. Simply place three sugar canes in a row.

How to make paper in Minecraft

Making paper in Minecraft is very simple. All you need to do is place three sugar canes in the middle row of the crafting grid. This will give you paper!

Tasty paper, by the sound of it. You can create some stuff with paper, including maps, banner patterns, and books. There are two different types of maps in Minecraft: normal maps that show an area and locator maps. To make them, either fill the crafting squares with paper to make a regular map or surround a compass in the center square with paper to make a locator map.

Map recipe

  • 9x paper

Locator Map recipe

  • 8x paper
  • 1x compass

Craftable banner logos

To make banner patterns, you’ll need one sheet of paper and an item to act as the pattern’s emblem. So, for example, if you want to create a banner showing the Mojang logo, place one paper sheet on the left and an Enchanted Golden Apple in the center.

  • Enchanted Golden Apple – Thing (looks like the Mojang logo)
  • Wither Skeleton Skull – Skull (a skull and crossbones)
  • Creeper Head – Creeper (shows a Creeper’s face)
  • Oxeye Daisy – Flower (looks like a daisy)
  • Brick block – Field Masoned
  • Vine – Bordure Indented

Minecraft book - the recipe to add a quill to your book in Minecraft.

How to make a Minecraft book and quill

Want a Minecraft book you can write in? You’ll need the following:

  • 1x book
  • 1x ink sac
  • 1x feather

Place the ink sac to the right of the book in the crafting grid and the feather beneath the inc sac – now you’ve got a book and quill, which you can use to inscribe your words of wisdom; place it on a Minecraft lectern for extra authority.

There you have it – that’s how you make Minecraft books. If you can’t be bothered to make your own, you can also find books in ships, strongholds, or Minecraft villages; if you want to find a village quickly, check out these Minecraft seeds. However, there are also enchanted books you can find in the crafting game.

There are a few ways to get your hands on enchanted books: trade them with librarian villagers, find them in rare pillager raid drops, or even from fishing. If you’ve got an abundance of these enchanted books, you can disenchant them using a Minecraft grindstone.

As for things you can use books with, they play a key part in Minecraft enchantments, as they’re part of the enchantment table recipe. Don’t forget to also look at our Minecraft seeds guide for some of the most beautiful landscapes you can imagine, and find out how to join some of the best multiplayer Minecraft servers with your friends.