Added two images, dont know if both will show. As I write this review the image I see is of the board with a crack in it. That is the back plate for the cabinet. It arrived this way, I assembled the shelf as is and do not see a problem from that crack. However Im not sure if that was done in transit or by the warehouse it came from. All in all this is a pretty decent shelf it stands just a little over 6 ft high and the shelves are decently spaced I havent tried it on anything textbook or coffee table book sized, but it should do very well for your average novel The frame itself is metal the shelves are wood. Please note the shelves are held in place by screws there are no underlying supports so an extensive amount of weight on a shelf may cause it to snap loose.