The fastest way to make a readable book in Minecraft

To make a book you can write in and read, you need three things: a Book and Quill, text to put in it, and a place to display it. The Book and Quill is a craftable item that holds up to 50 pages of text. Once you finish writing, you can sign it to lock the text in place, and then place it on a Lectern (a wooden reading stand) so other players can read it.

The process takes about five minutes if you have the materials already. If you're in Creative mode, you can grab a Book and Quill directly from the inventory. In Survival mode, you'll need to craft it first.

Key Takeaways

  • A Book and Quill is crafted from one Book, one Ink Sac, and one Feather, and holds up to 50 pages of text.
  • You write in the book by holding it and pressing the Use key (right-click on most systems), then type your text page by page.
  • Signing the book with a title locks the text so it cannot be edited again, and turns it into a Signed Book that other players can read.
  • Placing a Signed Book on a Lectern lets other players open and read it without needing to hold the book themselves.
  • You can also put Signed Books in Item Frames on walls to display them as decoration, though players cannot read them that way.

Crafting a Book and Quill in Survival mode

You need one Book, one Ink Sac, and one Feather. A Book is made from three pieces of Paper and one piece of Leather on a Crafting Table. Paper comes from Sugar Cane (three Sugar Cane in a row on the Crafting Table makes three Paper). Leather drops from Cows, Horses, Llamas, and Donkeys when you kill them.

An Ink Sac comes from Squids, which spawn in water. A Feather drops from Chickens when you kill them, or from Parrots. Once you have all three items, place them on a Crafting Table in any order and you'll get a Book and Quill.

If you're playing on a server or in a shared world, you can also ask another player to give you a Book and Quill if they have a spare one.

Writing and editing text in your book

Hold the Book and Quill in your hand and press the Use key (right-click on PC, ZR on Nintendo Switch, RT on Xbox, R2 on PlayStation). A text screen will open. Type your text directly into the page. You can write up to 256 characters per page, which is roughly 40 to 50 words depending on word length.

Press Page Down to move to the next page, or Page Up to go back. You can go back and edit any page you've already written by clicking in the text box and using backspace or arrow keys. The book will not save your changes until you close the writing screen, so make sure you finish editing before you exit.

If you want to delete the entire book and start over, you can drop it on the ground and pick it up again, but this will erase all your text. There is no undo button once you close the writing screen.

Signing your book to lock the text

Once you finish writing all your pages, close the writing screen. You'll see two buttons: "Sign" and "Cancel". Click "Sign" to lock the book. A dialog box will ask you to enter a title and your name as the author. The title can be up to 32 characters, and your name is usually your Minecraft username.

After you sign the book, it becomes a Signed Book and you can no longer edit the text. Other players can now open and read it. If you want to make changes, you'll need to create a new Book and Quill and rewrite the text.

Placing a book on a Lectern for others to read

A Lectern is a wooden block that holds a Signed Book and lets players read it without taking it from the block. You can craft a Lectern from four wooden Slabs and one wooden Fence on a Crafting Table. Place the Lectern where you want it, then hold your Signed Book and right-click the Lectern to place the book on top.

Any player can now walk up to the Lectern and right-click it to open and read the book. The book stays on the Lectern and cannot be taken. If you want to remove the book, right-click the Lectern again and the book will drop to the ground.

Lecterns are useful for libraries, shops, or any place where you want to share written information with other players. You can place multiple Lecterns next to each other to create a row of readable books.

Other ways to display books in your world

If you want to display a book as decoration without letting players read it, you can place a Signed Book inside an Item Frame. An Item Frame is crafted from eight Sticks and one Leather on a Crafting Table. Place the Item Frame on a wall, then right-click it while holding a Signed Book to place the book inside. The book will hang on the wall like a picture, but players cannot open and read it from the frame.

You can also put books in Chests, Barrels, or Shulker Boxes to store them. This is useful if you want to keep multiple books in one place and hand them out to players one at a time. Books in containers can be read by opening the container and clicking the book, but the book will not stay open if you close the container.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit a book after I sign it?

No. Once you sign a book, the text is locked and cannot be changed. If you need to fix a mistake, you must create a new Book and Quill and rewrite the entire text. You can then sign the new book with the same title.

How many pages can a book have?

A Book and Quill can hold up to 50 pages. Each page holds about 256 characters, which is roughly 40 to 50 words. If you try to type past the character limit on a page, the text will not appear.

Can I copy a signed book?

Yes. If you have a Signed Book and a Book and Quill, place them both on a Crafting Table together and you'll get a copy of the Signed Book. The copy will have the same text and author name as the original. You can make as many copies as you want.

What happens if I drop a book in water or lava?

Books float in water and will not burn in lava, so you can retrieve them. However, if a book is in lava for too long, it will eventually disappear like any other item. Pick it up quickly if you drop it in lava.

Can I use color codes or special formatting in a book?

No. Books only support plain text. You cannot use color codes, bold, italics, or other formatting. The text will appear in the default white color on the book page.