How to make and use chiseled bookshelves in Minecraft snapshot 22w42a

The first Java Edition snapshot has been released for Minecraft 1.20. It is technically called version 1.19.3, but it is definitely a step towards the next major update. At Minecraft Live 2022, Mojang introduced several new features that they plan on implementing in the next update.

These are included as experimental features within this snapshot, so anyone who gets the snapshot will have access to them. Camels, bamboo items, hanging signs, and chiseled bookshelves are included in the snapshot.

Chiseled bookshelves are a decorative block that can be used for redstone as well as a little bit of storage. Here's how to craft and use them.

---

Minecraft chiseled bookshelf: How to get and use the latest experimental item

Chiseled bookshelves are an alternate form of bookshelves that serve a purpose beyond decoration. Here's what you need to craft them:

• Six planks (all of the same wood, but can be any type)
• Three wooden slabs

The reason chiseled bookshelves do not need books in the crafting recipe, like a lecturn or normal bookshelf does, is because they do not inherently have books in them.

Enchanted books, book and quills, regular books, and written books can be placed later by players. Each chiseled bookshelf can hold up to six of those kinds of books.

Redstone comparators can detect the last book placed or removed from the bookshelf, so they can be used to briefly activate something redstone-related as long as it's connected properly.

This could be a clever way of opening a secret door or controlling a redstone lamp light source. The last update saw Sculk as the latest redstone feature, and it appears this update's feature will be chiseled bookshelves.

Right now, that's all they can be used for. It can be assumed that they will be different in the future, since Mojang is currently trying to determine what works and what doesn't. Community feedback is valuable in this process, and the chiseled bookshelf that players get in the official 1.20 update will be a refined version of the one that's available now.

Chiseled bookshelves can hold six books (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft gamers who want to try out chiseled bookshelves (or any other experimental feature) will need to download the snapshot and enable experimental features. Here's how to do that:

1. Open Minecraft Java Edition Launcher on your device.
2. Go to the Installations tab.
3. Click to Enable Snapshots. The latest snapshot, which in this case is 22w44a, will then be installed.
4. Navigate back to the Play section of the game.
5. Create a new world. It can be Survival or Creative.
6. In World Settings, enable Experimental Features.
7. Open the world.

Snapshots are not part of the full game, so there may be issues. They often have glitches and have been known to corrupt save files. Be sure to back up any existing game files that you don't want to lose to avoid that problem.