Manhattan Comfort Valenca 4.0 Collection Modern Tall Free Standing Decorative 10 Open Shelf Style Bookcase, White

For the price, this bookcase is great. I modified mine so it could be horizontal..

This is very good quality bookcase for the money. Sure, it's just made of particle board, but what do you expect for such a low price? Anyway, I have a couple of tips about putting the bookcase together.The first tip is: You WILL need a power screwdriver to assemble the unit. I began the job hoping I could just get by using hand tools, which I prefer, but nope. There are some long screws that require way too much torque. I went out and bought a $15 Black and Decker cordless screwdriver, and that worked fine.The second tip is: DON'T BOTHER WITH THE GLUE. I ordered two units, and with the first one I carefully followed the instructions, gluing every dowel in place (while making kind of a mess along the way). But when I started on the second unit, I realized it would be a lot easier just to hammer the dowels into the shelf pieces and then put the sides on, using those long screws. The manufacturer might disagree, but I'm positive the unit is just as solid and secure without the glue. Plus the job goes a *lot* faster that way.One other thought, more of a suggestion than a tip: You'll notice in the attached photo that I reversed the shelf placement on the second unit, so the pair would be symmetrical. I really like how that came out.

I looked at this bookcase for a number of weeks before finally deciding to purchase it. I hesitated because of some of the reviews posted. I finally decided to go ahead as I’ve been putting assemble yourself pieces together since the 80’s. When the box arrived I was concerned as it was the flimsiest carton I’ve ever encountered and could hear/feel the contents shifting and moving around inside. I expected to open the carton and find a broken mess but to my surprise everything was fine. Now on to the assembling:1. The instructions are sketchy but I took time to understand them. Each piece is labeled with number very small faint ink not the usual peel-off sticker.2. The only tool you need to assemble is a power drill. I did use a screwdriver after the unit was assembled to make the screws flat/even with the cabinet for easier application of the screw covers. The screws covers are the nicest I’ve ever encountered.3. As there are no locking cams/screws I did use the glue for better unit stability.4. Gluing the dowels to shelf ends: one packet of glue (very runny) poured into little bowl, made with aluminum foil, then dipped the dowel end in the glue and placed in hole. I then just pressed down the newly glued dowel end on table top to press the dowels completely and firmly in place. After gluing all the dowels I waited 30 minutes. Then separated the pieces into the three sections as defined in the instructions. Using the second packet of glue tapped 3 drops of glue in to each connecting hole. Then left the three sections to dry, approximately an hour.5. Finished by attaching the sides to the shelves with long screws with drill. You will need help standing the unit up.Very easy assemble didn’t take long at all. One of the simplest assembles I’ve ever done. Glad I bought the cabinet. Lovely to look at. Very pleased with purchase!

This bookcase so far is pretty good. Arrived with no damage to the box or items inside. It was relatively easy to put together.However the instructions could have been clearer with more written instructions included with the pictures-especially towards the end. That and the fact that it's not made out of solid wood (wood pulp pretty much) is why I'm not giving this item a full 5 stars.It seems pretty sturdy and heavy so that's reassuring. I'll see how it holds up over time. Overall I'm pleased with it.

How in the world does this have 5 stars? I ordered two of these and both were COVERED in scratches and had chunks of wood (cheap particleboard) missing everywhere. The damage did not appear to come from the packaging or handling, as most of the damage was found along the edges where the cuts were made. As someone who has been around furniture and woodworking for sometime, I can tell you that this is due to poor quality control standards. I wasn't expecting much for $75, but the lack of oversight here is a huge disappointment.

I am literally blown away by how substantial this item is for what it cost. My 14 year old son assembled it in about an hour and I am using it in my closet and it holds A LOT. I just can’t stamd stacks and clutter and this not only holds shoes and folded t-shirts but also some books and other items that tend to take up space on night stand and other more visible surfaces.

I give this bookcase 2 stars for the following reasons. As far as assembly goes this bookcase is the worse thought out I've seen. These kits usually impress me with their workmanship and sturdiness but this kit is poorly constructed and difficult to assemble. Holes for wooden dowels were bored too deep but the instructions suggest hammering them in so that the remaining pegs are actually too short for structural integrity. Wrong screws (countersunk type) were provided for the braces for the kick plate on the bottom. The holes bored for the long wood screws are not countersunk so the screw heads can't be driven flush, so forget about using the chintzy stick-on patches intended to cover the screw heads. The plastic feet are not provided with any hardware to attach them to the bottom. And the minimal instructions are not clear and, a first, English is not the primary language. I do not recommend this product.