You can buy stackable barrister bookcases today, but they are not as they used to be in the past. When barrister bookcases came into being, in the 19th century, they were made to accommodate lawyers who frequently moved from one office to another. They needed good, strong bookcases to protect their expensive law books, but they also needed a bookcase that could be easily transported. Thus the stackable barrister bookcases were conceived.
Each shelf was a box in itself, a complete enclosure with a glass front. The shelves were then stacked upon each other in the office, ready to be separated and moved again when the time came for the lawyer to move to another office. The mover did not have to take the books out of the bookcase only transport one box at a time.
For these bookcases to be practical the doors could not open on the side as do normal doors. A sliding mechanism was conceived that permitted the door to slide upward and into the shelf unit to open.
Today when we refer to stackable barrister bookcases we usually talk about buying a smaller unit with possibly 2 or 3 shelves into one unit, you can still however find single shelf stackable units. This bookcase is not very tall, therefore another one can be stacked on top, doubling the storage capacity. Using two small stackable barrister bookcases instead of one tall bookcase is a more versatile option. Should you wish to re-arrange the room and separate the two cases, you can, whereas you are stuck with a taller unit that might not fit everywhere. However this is a very personal decision and there is no right or wrong solution, only what best fits your needs.
Another reason to buy stackable barrister bookcases would be that you have outgrown the space a first bookcase offers, and you need to add another stack. If you have a well known brand like a Sauder barrister bookcase you should have no problem finding a matching one.
Barrister bookcases are normally a little more expensive than open face bookcases and usually better made. For this reason they remain in style and popular. Finding one to match your own might take a little digging through manufacturers catalogues or websites, but I think this is something you should be able to do without too much difficulty.
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