A back guardrail runs along the lower shelf, so books pushed from the front do not slide out the open back - a small addition that makes an open-backed unit practical against a wall or as a divider. Six 13-in cubes each hold 44 lbs while the top surface takes 154 lbs, enough for a television or a row of plants. The bottom shelf is 12 in deep. The unit measures 41 x 13 x 27.5 in and weighs 42 lbs in white engineered wood. A user manual ships with it and assembly is required.