Minecraft: Here Is How To Read a Book
Minecraft flaunts a huge spread of fun activities for players, ranging from exploring dark and spooky caves to venturing out into Minecraft’s various oceans. But, there are also a ton of more mundane things players can do to spice up their playthrough – like reading books! Still, many players wonder exactly how to read a book in Minecraft.
Written Books in Minecraft
The first thing to understand about readable books in Minecraft is that they are not the same item as classic books, which are made by combining paper with leather. However, classic Minecraft books will be necessary for creating a book that players can write in and read later on.
Written Books are created after a Book and Quill item is signed by a player, flaunting a similar appearance to a classic leather book in Minecraft with an enchanted type of sheen and glimmer. Written Books do not appear as such in-game since the book will automatically be titled based on what the player writes – along with the player’s (author’s) username in-game.
How to Make a Written Book in Minecraft
To start off, players will need to get their hands on at least 3 pieces of Sugarcane and one piece of Leather. Placing the Sugarcane on a crafting table will create paper, after which the paper can be combined with the piece of leather to create a book.
Books can be used to create a variety of things in Minecraft, whether it be making bookshelves for custom furniture pieces, stylish lectern decorations, and much more. Although books are usually most valuable for Minecraft enchantments, which are characterized by some rather odd and mysterious enchantment letters, books can also be used to create Written Books in Minecraft – which can be read by yourself or other Minecraft players at a later stage.
1. Create a Book and Quill
Once you get your hands on a classic book in Minecraft, you will be able to go ahead and create a Book and Quill – which is a renewable but not a stackable Minecraft item. A Book and a Quill are classified as one item in Minecraft, seen as the main ingredient for creating a written book in Minecraft.
Players will need to combine a classic book with an Ink Sac and a Feather on a crafting table in order to create a Book and Quill. The arrangement of the items will not matter on a crafting table, and the Book and Quill item has next to no purpose other than being an ingredient for Written Books or acting as a nifty decorative item.
2. Write in the Empty Written Book (Book and Quill)
Although it may seem tricky to get a hold of a written and readable book in Minecraft, all it takes is knowing exactly how to craft it and launch the text GUI. Players can access empty Written Books by holding the Written Book in the character’s hand (using Hotbar keys) and using the “Use Item” button for the relevant platform, which equates to “right-click” for PC players.
Once players interact with the empty Written Book, a text editor GUI will pop up allowing the player to write inside the Written Book. Players can write whatever they’d like inside Written Books, with the most popular ideas being logging important coordinates, jotting down player usernames, and much more – however, there are a few important rules to know before you start writing your book!
- A single book can only be written up to 100 pages long in Java Edition or up to 50 pages long in Bedrock Edition.
- Players can only write up to 798 characters per page.
- The player only can write up to 79,800 characters in Java Edition or up to 12,800 characters in Bedrock Edition.
- No page inside a Written Book can be longer than 14 lines, and each line can only have a width of 114 pixels at most.
- The game will pause for players in single-player mode, but the game will continue for players in multiplayer mode.
- Players will be able to use a copy-and-paste feature in order to insert content into their Written Book, including most Unicode characters, provided that the content does not exceed the above limitations in terms of characters and lines per page.
- Players can come back and edit the Written Book as much as they like, as long as the Written Book is not signed.
- Any content contained within the written book will be seen as extra data, only attached to the item. This means that if the Written Book is somehow destroyed, the contents will be destroyed as well.
Players enjoying the Bedrock Edition will also have access to a few additional features. By using certain key combinations, you can create customized text within the Written Book for a stylized touch!
How to Duplicate Written Books in Minecraft
In order to duplicate a Written Book in Minecraft, players will need to title the book and sign it as the author. From this point, the Written Book can only be read and cannot be edited – but, it can then be duplicated.
Players will be able to place the signed Written Book into a crafting table along with more Book and Quill items. This process will then turn all of the placed Book and Quill items into duplicates of the original Written Book, and the signed copy will not be consumed in the process.
This way, you can hand out creative stories or helpful tips to others in your Minecraft world, or take important information along with you while setting up multiple survival bases across a seemingly infinite Minecraft world. Written books placed on lecterns can also be a handy way to provide detailed directions or note down information that’s too hefty for a sign.
How to Read a Book in Minecraft
In order to read a Written Book in Minecraft (or, whichever title it goes by after being written), players will need to use the same keys used for writing the book. After holding the Written Book in your character’s hand and pressing the relevant “Use Item” key, you will be met with a different GUI that will allow you to read to Written Book and turn pages.
Written Books may feel tricky to use at first, but they are an awesome way to log in-game information for yourself and your Minecraft friends. They can be placed down on a Lectern, which will make the Lectern emit a Redstone signal, or they can be placed inside a Chiseled Bookshelf for safe storage.
That’s everything there is to know about written books in Minecraft, with all images thanks to the Minecraft Wiki. Once you’re able to begin writing in your book, it can be read by yourself and other Minecraft players online and help transform your gameplay experience.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!