I believe this shelf is actually made of solid wood.  Assembly is pretty simple, and it looks very nice -- just like the photo.  It's also convenient that if can fold up for storage or moving.  The only negative I would mention is that I don't feel comfortable putting a ton of weight on it.  I'm using it for a kids room, so it doesn't have to take a lot of weight.  But I don't think I'd use it for a bunch of really heavy books.  I got it for a good deal, so I'm happy.