Book And Quill Minecraft Recipe

For the item created after a book and quill is signed, see Written Book.

For the books that cannot be written in or read, see Book.

The Book and Quill is an item that can be obtained in Survival. It can also be crafted by a player. It was added into the game in snapshot 12w17a for update 1.3.1. These books can contain up to 50 pages, or 100 pages as of the 1.14 snapshots, with 14 lines on each page. A player may write whatever they desire in this book. An out-of-game editor can be used to increase the length of books and create colored text. Once signed, it cannot be edited again. A book can be signed once the author believes that they are done writing the book, and so will not be contributing any more to it.

How To Use [edit | edit source]

To use a book, one must first craft one (see crafting below). Once one has a book and quill, select the item in one's Player's hand and right click (for PC, use item for other systems). This will bring up the book editor screen. A player may then type the desired contents into the page, up to the thirteen lines. To go to another page, click the forward arrow, while the back arrow goes to the previous page. The page does not have to contain text to proceed to the next page. When a player has finished editing, click "Done" to close the book. If the book should be finished editing for good, click "Sign" to permanently close the book for reading only. Once signed, the book will glow like an Enchanted Book.

Usage [edit | edit source]

It can be used as instructions to players in multiplayer mode by creating copies of a signed book that cannot be edited. This is handy when put in chests or dispensers at the spawn of a server for new players to access. Alternatively, Signs are used in the same fashion. In addition, players can make stories out of them and make book stores or libraries for role-playing servers. Another use of the book is to be used as a "to do list." This is done by writing tasks into the book and clicking "Done" instead of "Sign", which will let a player endlessly edit the book an infinite number of times, thus allowing for the list to be updated constantly. This is handier than the traditional sign "to do list" because it's portable. There are many other uses as well, depending on the player's creativity. Librarian Villagers will buy a book and quill in exchange for an Emerald.

Formatting Codes [edit | edit source]

Main article: Formatting Codes

Text can be styled in a book and quill by using codes prefixed with the § character (section sign), which can be copied and pasted into the book or typed using Alt+NUMPAD2+NUMPAD1 on Windows and macOS, and AltGr+⇧ Shift+S on Linux.

§ + K creates randomly changing characters.
§ + L creates bold text.
§ + O creates italic text.
§ + 0–F (hexadecimal) creates colored text.
§ + R resets any of the previous styles so text after its appears normally.

Changes in 1.14 [edit | edit source]

In the 1.14 snapshots, the book and quill was rewritten to be more intuitive. The cursor is now moveable, allowing for free text editing; up to 100 pages can be written (instead of the previous 50); copy and paste support and selection support was added; double-clicking to highlight a word, triple-clicking to highlight a page; and improved page filling and line wrapping. In essence, the book and quill has become a more user-friendly item. However, the ability to write formatting codes in books was removed, and colored text is no longer possible in survival.

Crafting [edit | edit source]

&format=original Book and Quill (Shapeless recipe)
None	None	None
None	None	None
&format=original Book	&format=original Ink Sac	&format=original Feather

Console [edit | edit source]

The book and quill is craftable in the console editions. However, a current glitch in the PS4 version makes it unusable, as any changes to unsigned book are not saved if a player holds another item. Also, attempting to sign the book tells them that they will no longer be able to make changes, but then nothing else happens. One has to back out of the menu and the book remains unsigned.

Trivia [edit | edit source]

Writing on the last page saves all pages between, regardless of whether or not they are blank.
Deleting the text on the last page(s) will leave blank pages saved. However, when closing and opening the book with "Done," the book will no longer have those trailing blank pages saved.
Sometimes, written books may be part of a trade offered by a villager priest.
Using the code § with the letter or number next to it will create colors, bold, strike through, and random text.
When placed in a lectern, it gives off a signal strength based on which page is open.

Gallery [edit | edit source]

WiiU screenshot GamePad 01D9D.jpg

Typing text on a book and quill on Wii U.
BookWrite.jpg

Text in a book.
2018-05-27 13.32.02.png

Colored text.
BookSignPage.PNG

Book sign page.