It is a curious fact of bookcase history that shelves, in their evolution from the lectern desk, first extended upwards towards the ceiling. Only later did they reach for the floor. The medieval shelves that are still in place in the library of Queen’s College, Cambridge, demonstrate neatly the gradual transformation of lecterns into shelves. Founded in 1448, the college’s original library of chained books featured bi-level, standing lecterns, with desks sliding out from underneath a single shelf.
