What You Need to Craft a Book and Quill

A Book and Quill is a writing tool in Minecraft that lets you create and edit text on pages. To make one, you need three items: one Book, one Ink Sac, and one Feather. You place these three items in a crafting table in any arrangement, and the game produces a Book and Quill that you can use when ready.

The tricky part is not the crafting itself — it is gathering the three ingredients, especially if you are playing on a new world. Each ingredient comes from a different source, and some require you to find specific creatures or locations.

Key Takeaways

  • A Book and Quill requires one Book, one Ink Sac, and one Feather, placed anywhere in a crafting table.
  • Ink Sacs drop from Squids when you kill them in water, and Feathers drop from Chickens when you kill them or collect their natural drops.
  • Books are made from three pieces of Paper and one piece of Leather in a crafting table.
  • Once crafted, right-click the Book and Quill to open it and begin typing on its pages.

How to Get an Ink Sac

An Ink Sac comes from Squids, which live in water. Find any body of water — a river, lake, or ocean — and look for a dark, eight-armed creature floating in it. Kill the Squid with any weapon or tool, and it will drop one or two Ink Sacs.

If you are in a new world and have not yet found water, Squids spawn naturally in most Minecraft worlds. Walk toward the sound of water or climb high to scan the landscape. If you are playing in a desert or other dry biome, you may need to travel farther to find a lake or river.

How to Get a Feather

A Feather drops from Chickens. Find Chickens in grassy areas — they are small, white and red birds that cluck and lay eggs. Kill a Chicken with any weapon, and it will drop zero to two Feathers. You may need to kill several Chickens to get one Feather.

Chickens are common in most biomes during the day. If you cannot find one when ready, build a small pen and trap a few Chickens inside, then kill them when you are ready. Alternatively, Chickens drop Feathers naturally over time if you keep them alive, though this takes longer.

How to Get a Book

A Book is made from Paper and Leather. You need three pieces of Paper and one piece of Leather. Place them in a crafting table — the arrangement does not matter — and the table produces one Book.

Paper comes from Sugar Cane, which grows on the edges of water. Find Sugar Cane, break it, and collect the stalks. Place three Sugar Cane stalks in a row in a crafting table, and you get three pieces of Paper. Leather drops from Cows when you kill them. Find a Cow in a grassy area, kill it, and collect the Leather it drops. You may need to kill one or two Cows to get one piece of Leather.

Putting It All Together in a Crafting Table

Once you have one Book, one Ink Sac, and one Feather, open your crafting table. Place the three items anywhere in the crafting grid — the position does not matter. The crafting table will show a Book and Quill in the result slot on the right side of the table.

Click the Book and Quill to move it into your inventory. You now have a working Book and Quill ready to use.

How to Write in Your Book and Quill

Hold the Book and Quill in your hand and right-click it (or use the secondary action button on your device). A text screen opens with blank pages. Type any text you want. Use the Page Down and Page Up buttons to move between pages — a Book and Quill can hold up to 50 pages.

When you are finished writing, click the "Done" button. The book closes and saves your text. You can open it again at any time by right-clicking it. If you want to share your book with other players, you can place it on a lectern, and other players can read it by right-clicking the lectern.

Faster Routes if You Are Stuck

If you cannot find Squids or Cows in your current area, consider moving to a different biome. Oceans and rivers have many Squids, and plains biomes have many Cows and Chickens. You can also find Books in certain structures — Libraries in villages, Strongholds, and End Ships all contain Books you can take without crafting.

If you find a Book in a structure, you still need an Ink Sac and a Feather to make a Book and Quill, but you skip the step of gathering Paper and Leather. This can save time if you are early in the game and do not yet have a farm set up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I write in a regular Book, or do I need a Book and Quill?

A regular Book cannot be written in. Only a Book and Quill can be opened and edited. Once you write in a Book and Quill and click Done, it becomes a permanent written book that other players can read but not edit.

What happens if I run out of pages while writing?

A Book and Quill holds up to 50 pages. If you reach page 50 and try to type more, the text will not be added. You can still read and edit the text on existing pages.

Can I copy a Book and Quill to make multiple copies?

No. A Book and Quill cannot be copied. However, once you finish writing and click Done, the book becomes a written book. You can then place that written book in a crafting table with a Book and Quill to create a copy of the written book.

Do I need to find all three ingredients, or can I buy them from villagers?

You can trade with Librarian villagers to get Books, and with other villagers to get Ink Sacs and Feathers, but only if you have already set up a village and leveled up the villagers. For a new world, gathering the ingredients yourself is faster.

What is the Book and Quill used for?

Players use Books and Quills to write stories, guides, notes, and messages. Written books can be placed on lecterns for other players to read, or signed and given as gifts. Some servers use them for role-playing or sharing information.