The 9 Best Bookends
Special Honors
Polished Geodes These oft and well-rated beauties would've made the cut if they were more uniform and weren't at risk of breaking in the mail. If you're buying real rocks to keep your books straight, we suggest doing it in person, or from a well-vetted provider, so you can be sure to get the grain, cut, etc. that you want and is represented in images, all without having to worry about them crumbling before they get to you. fossilera.com
Hand-carved Wooden Bookends If it feels like something is missing from our list, it's probably because the lack of wooden options. But when it comes down to it, for better or worse, they just aren't the most popular out there at the moment. This might seem a shame to those bibliophiles who want to read hardbound classics, fireside, pipe packed, snifter of brandy at hand, in a tweed coat with elbow patches. Well, you're in luck, because there's a seemingly bottomless pit of wood offerings on Etsy spanning many styles and price points. etsy.com
Editor's Notes
February 11, 2020:
As fun as dragons, skulls, crows, and other evocative iconography can be, I’ve avoided adding anything to this ranking that seemed to appeal too much to any too-particular aesthetic. While some might argue that stripped-down folds of metal appeal to a minimalist aesthetic, and that minimalism is as much an aesthetic genre as, say, zombie apocalypse or science fiction, I’d have to contend that, though they may have a point, there’s only so much room to work with here, and if I’m allowed to add superheroes, cats, dire wolves, etc. things are going to get both biased and nebulous pretty fast. Just so, many of these offerings are more functionally utilitarian than they are appealingly decorative.
Elsewhere, while mineral-based bookends like cut geodes might be both attractive and a good weight for keeping enchiridions where they belong, beware because: (1) Unless you’re buying fake rocks that are made with polymer resins or something like them, there’s no guarantee they’ll look like whatever you see online since they’re made from naturally occurring geological material, and (2) they risk breaking in the mail, which isn’t good for anyone, except maybe miners and rock hounds, I suppose.
Ultimately, I made sure not to include too many of the classic, inexpensive, single-piece, U-shaped designs, such as the Innovera Universal Economy and MMF Industries Deluxe, or the similarly simple Acrimet Premium, because I imagine that people are looking for some variety, even if I am trying to avoid ranking a list that seems analogously representative of a bookstore’s genre-based sectioning. Meanwhile, I couldn’t dream of not including choices I wouldn’t want myself, like the Fasmov Heavy Duty Man or Fasmov Art Pair, because, relatively speaking, they are tried, true, and wildly popular.