Are there any usable non-player-owned bookshelves?

Related: What's the quickest & cheapest way to power-level up to 15?

So, I've made my way to level 15 and I'm almost done with the Oghma Infinium quest. However, I've just realized that my rushing technique has left me without a house in my name. Without a house, I have no bookshelf. Without a bookshelf, I can't abuse the Oghma Infinium. Are there any usable bookshelves in the world that don't require (through purchase or quest reward) the player to own them?

As far as I know, all the bookshelf-like furniture I've previously encountered outside my houses have just been plain shelves. They don't act like containers in the way bookshelves do - the way I need them to.


Yes you do need to own the bookshelf. An easy way to make money is to simply go into somewhere where they like you, like the Whiterun castle, take everything that doesn't count as stealing, and sell it. Goblets, plates, books, everything. I'm only level 10 and I already have over 10,000 gold after buying the house in Whiterun, fully stocking it, buying a horse, and the best armor & weapons I can use.


Well, it seems there are NOT any usable bookshelves in Skyrim that you don't need to own first. However, there is aslo another glitch for easy coin. It's another book! Who'da thunk?! And the best part is, the book isn't even very far from Winterhold. Makes life MUCH easier. You pick this book off of a skeleton :D

Just head south-west like you're leaving Winterhold from the main road. A little ways, there should be a steep hill to your right and a large tree stump to your left. Climb the hill. There might be an ice wraith on your way up, but a fine weapon should make easy work of it. Keep walking until you come to a huge rock and continue up the path to the left, you'll notice the hill goes back down. Keep walking. On your compass, you should see a cave. Head to the cave (name of the cave is Sightless Pit). Walk past that, up the hill to your right. You'll see that it turns into stone road. Keep walking and stay to your left, as this road splits. If you've followed my instructions, you should now see a broken pillar and a set of steps. There are 3 skeletons around you as you approach the steps. Kill them. Go up the steps and there will be a skeleton on a slab. Open the skeleton and look at the book, The Doors Of Oblivion. Hope I helped.

I can't stress enough, that it would be a good idea to pack lightly, seeing as this second book you're about to pick up will respawn every time you go into the corpse's inventory.

(I will admit, I'm playing offline, completely unpatched, so after patch 1.4, I'm not sure if this works still.)


You do not need a bookshelf - after getting the Infinium you can do the same procedure in any ol' body cavity. Search the corpse and empty everything from it, then place the book inside. Close the screen, search the corpse then take the book. With the screen still open read the book, then store it without closing, than close the screen. All you have to do now is repeat.

Make sure to save first, if you do not follow the directions to the letter it will not work and you will be out a book.