This is a sturdy bookshelf.  We didn't anchor to the wall and it is fine.  If you had children that might want to climb then it would need to be anchored.  It looks like metal as opposed to real iron.  The shelves look nice far away but up close they seem like plastic.  The shelves had a very strong stain smell for a few days.  I kinda wish I had waited and added a few more hundred dollars to my budget.