Oak barrister bookcases have been around for a long time. Barrister bookcases were a very special type of furniture designed for barristers (lawyers) who changed office frequently and who had to take their heavy books with them. For this reason the bookcases were designed in such a way that each shelf could be stacked on top of another so that when the books were carried they stayed in the case. A glass door was added to protect the books from dust and other damaging elements but it could not open on the sides as most doors do because of the way the shelves had to stack. So the doors devised were sliding up into the shelf recess.
Globe Wernicke was the manufacturer of office furniture in the 19th century who is credited for having made the barristers bookcases so well known. It had a standard width of 34 inches, and was called the elastic bookcase, as you could stack as many bookcases on top of each other as you wanted.
The glass on the doors was very important. First the door must slide without any oscillation, in a way not to be in the way of the user. The glass was leaded and could be plain or with a diamond or square design. The glass itself was sometimes beveled, it protected the books from damaging sunlight as well as other things. The company prized itself on the quality of its doors and glass as one of the greatest attribute of the bookcases they sold.
You can still find some of the Globe Wernicke’s mahogany, walnut or oak barrister bookcases at auctions and they can sell for as much as $1000, lucky people can sometimes snatch one for a little less.
Today, a barrister bookcase still looks the same in some ways but many have 2 or 3, sometimes even 4 shelves in one unit, they have, however, kept the upward sliding door. Today, people who have an oak barrister bookcase know that they have something that will be passed on to the next generation. Oak is a very hard wood that can resist molds and insects, properties that make it a good choice for furniture.
You will find any size you need and you can of course stack a couple of units for later additions should you need to. The type of wood that is normally available is Chestnut oak, a warm golden brown, and a dark oak which as the name implies is slightly darker. The final color is dependent on the type of oak you choose but is also affected by the finishing process and will vary from unit to unit.
Choosing an oak barrister bookcase if you like oak, is a really good decision as it is an excellent quality wood and even today’s barrister bookcases are well made and will give you good service. Prices will vary depending on size, and workmanship, design and quality of materials. Normally you should be able to find the lower prices to range from $100 to $200, and the higher end to be as much as $1200 or more for a 4 shelf bookcase. It is evident that they are quite a bit more costly than ordinary bookcases, but then you will not have an ordinary bookcase. If however you want a moderately priced good quality piece of contemporary furniture you might look into the Sauder barrister bookcase from the Orchard Hills collection. It no longer available at their website, but it can be ordered from some online resellers.
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