diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-actions-menu.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-actions-menu.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ebdd3ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-actions-menu.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+	import * as DropdownMenu from '$lib/components/ui/dropdown-menu/index';
+	import { buttonVariants } from '$lib/components/ui/button/index.js';
+	import { getBookOperationsState } from '$lib/state/bookOperations.svelte';
+	import { getLibraryState } from '$lib/state/library.svelte';
+	import { getBookshelfState } from '$lib/state/bookshelf.svelte';
+	import { getFileType } from '$lib/utils';
+	import {
+		BookOpenCheck,
+		BookOpenText,
+		Download,
+		EllipsisVertical,
+		Pencil,
+		Trash2
+	} from '@lucide/svelte';
+	import type { Book, BookFile } from '$lib/schema';
+
+	let { book, class: className = '' }: { book: Book; class?: string } = $props();
+
+	const bookOps = getBookOperationsState();
+	const libraryState = getLibraryState();
+	const bookshelfState = getBookshelfState();
+
+	function openInReader(file: BookFile) {
+		const type = getFileType(file.filename);
+		if (type === 'EPUB' || type === 'PDF')
+			window.open(`/book/${book.id}/read/${type.toLowerCase()}/${file.id}`, '_blank', 'noopener');
+	}
+</script>
+
+<!--
+	The per-book overflow menu, shared so the grid, list and table cannot drift
+	apart. data-row-control keeps a click here from toggling row selection.
+-->
+<DropdownMenu.Root>
+	<DropdownMenu.Trigger
+		data-row-control
+		aria-label="More actions for {book.title}"
+		class="{buttonVariants({ variant: 'ghost', size: 'icon' })} {className}"
+	>
+		<EllipsisVertical class="size-4" />
+	</DropdownMenu.Trigger>
+
+	<DropdownMenu.Content align="end" data-row-control>
+		<DropdownMenu.Group>
+			{#if book.files.length > 0}
+				<DropdownMenu.Item onclick={() => openInReader(book.files[0])}>
+					<BookOpenText class="size-4" />
+					Read
+				</DropdownMenu.Item>
+				<DropdownMenu.Item
+					onclick={() => bookOps.downloadBookFile(book.id, book.files[0].id, book.files[0].filename)}
+				>
+					<Download class="size-4" />
+					Download
+				</DropdownMenu.Item>
+				<DropdownMenu.Separator />
+			{/if}
+
+			<DropdownMenu.Item
+				onclick={() => {
+					bookOps.bookToEdit = book;
+					bookOps.editDialogOpen = true;
+				}}
+			>
+				<Pencil class="size-4" />
+				Edit
+			</DropdownMenu.Item>
+
+			<DropdownMenu.Item
+				onclick={async () => {
+					if (!book.progress?.completed) await bookOps.markBooksAsComplete([book.id]);
+					else await bookOps.markBooksAsIncomplete([book.id]);
+				}}
+			>
+				<BookOpenCheck class="size-4" />
+				{book.progress?.completed ? 'Mark as unfinished' : 'Mark as finished'}
+			</DropdownMenu.Item>
+
+			<DropdownMenu.Separator />
+
+			<DropdownMenu.Item
+				class="text-destructive"
+				onclick={() => {
+					bookOps.deleteDialogTitle = `Delete "${book.title}"?`;
+					bookOps.deleteFn = async (deleteFiles: boolean) => {
+						await bookOps.deleteBooks([book.id], deleteFiles);
+						libraryState.activeLibrary!.total!--;
+						bookshelfState.deletedBooks([book]);
+					};
+					bookOps.deleteDialogOpen = true;
+				}}
+			>
+				<Trash2 class="size-4" />
+				Delete
+			</DropdownMenu.Item>
+		</DropdownMenu.Group>
+	</DropdownMenu.Content>
+</DropdownMenu.Root>
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-cover.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-cover.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..903a4b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-cover.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+	import type { Book } from '$lib/schema';
+
+	let {
+		book,
+		height = 220,
+		class: className = ''
+	}: { book: Book; height?: number; class?: string } = $props();
+
+	let failed = $state(false);
+
+	const src = $derived(book.cover_image ? `/api/${book.cover_image}` : null);
+
+	// A stable hue per title, so a book with no artwork still gets its own
+	// colour rather than every placeholder looking identical.
+	const hue = $derived([...book.title].reduce((acc, ch) => (acc * 31 + ch.charCodeAt(0)) % 360, 7));
+
+	const authors = $derived(book.authors.map((a) => a.name).join(', '));
+</script>
+
+<!--
+	Covers arrive at whatever size the EPUB or PDF carried — the backend converts
+	to WebP without resizing. This shows the whole cover at its own aspect ratio:
+	the height is fixed so callers can rely on it for layout, and the width falls
+	out of the image. Nothing is cropped and nothing is stretched.
+
+	The wrapper reserves a minimum width so the text beside it only settles by a
+	few pixels once the image loads. Removing that last reflow needs the intrinsic
+	dimensions stored at ingest.
+
+	That reservation is proportional to the height, not a fixed value: a 2:3 cover
+	is 0.67x its height wide, so 0.6x reserves almost all of it without ever
+	overshooting. A flat minimum would make the wrapper — and any link wrapping
+	it — far wider than a small cover.
+-->
+<span
+	class="inline-flex shrink-0 items-end {className}"
+	style="height: {height}px; min-width: {Math.round(height * 0.6)}px;"
+>
+	{#if src && !failed}
+		<!--
+			The rounded box lives on this wrapper, not the image, so anything
+			overlaid on the cover — the progress bar — is clipped to the same
+			silhouette instead of squaring off its corners. The shadow moves here
+			too, since overflow-hidden would otherwise clip the image's own.
+		-->
+		<span class="relative h-full overflow-hidden rounded-sm shadow-lg">
+			<img
+				{src}
+				alt="Cover of {book.title}"
+				onerror={() => (failed = true)}
+				class="h-full w-auto object-contain"
+				style="max-width: {Math.round(height * 0.95)}px;"
+			/>
+
+			{#if book.progress?.percentage}
+				<span class="absolute inset-x-0 bottom-0 h-1 bg-black/30">
+					<span
+						class="block h-full {book.progress.completed ? 'bg-success' : 'bg-flag'}"
+						style="width: {Math.min(100, Math.round(book.progress.percentage * 100))}%;"
+					></span>
+				</span>
+			{/if}
+		</span>
+	{:else}
+		<!-- No cover on record, or the file is missing. Draw one. -->
+		<span
+			class="flex h-full flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-sm p-3 text-left shadow-lg"
+			style="width: {Math.round(height * 0.66)}px; background: linear-gradient(152deg, hsl({hue}
+				30% 34%), hsl({hue} 38% 18%));"
+		>
+			<span
+				class="line-clamp-4 font-serif text-xs leading-tight"
+				style="color: hsl({hue} 38% 95%);">{book.title}</span
+			>
+			{#if authors}
+				<span
+					class="line-clamp-2 font-mono text-[8px] tracking-wider uppercase"
+					style="color: hsl({hue} 24% 78%);">{authors}</span
+				>
+			{/if}
+		</span>
+	{/if}
+</span>
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-rows.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-rows.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a30bcce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/view/book-rows.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+	import BookCover from './book-cover.svelte';
+	import BookActionsMenu from './book-actions-menu.svelte';
+	import * as Tooltip from '$lib/components/ui/tooltip/index';
+	import { Badge, badgeVariants } from '$lib/components/ui/badge/index';
+	import { buttonVariants } from '$lib/components/ui/button/index.js';
+	import { getBookSelectionState } from '$lib/state/bookSelection.svelte';
+	import { getBookOperationsState } from '$lib/state/bookOperations.svelte';
+	import { getLibraryState } from '$lib/state/library.svelte';
+	import { getFileType } from '$lib/utils';
+	import { BookOpenText, Check, Download } from '@lucide/svelte';
+	import type { Book, BookFile } from '$lib/schema';
+
+	let { books }: { books: Book[] } = $props();
+
+	const selectionState = getBookSelectionState();
+	const bookOps = getBookOperationsState();
+	const libraryState = getLibraryState();
+
+	/** At most three, so cards with a heavy tag list stay the same height as the rest. */
+	const TAG_LIMIT = 3;
+
+	function authors(book: Book) {
+		return book.authors.map((a) => a.name).join(', ');
+	}
+
+	function year(book: Book) {
+		return book.published_date ? new Date(book.published_date).getFullYear() : null;
+	}
+
+	function formats(book: Book) {
+		return [...new Set(book.files.map((f) => getFileType(f.filename)))].join(' + ');
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * BookProgressRead does not expose a timestamp yet, though BookProgress
+	 * extends BigIntAuditBase so updated_at exists in the database. Reading it
+	 * defensively means the date appears on its own once the schema catches up.
+	 * See TODO.md.
+	 */
+	function finishedOn(book: Book) {
+		const value = (book.progress as { updated_at?: string } | null | undefined)?.updated_at;
+		return value
+			? new Date(value).toLocaleDateString(undefined, {
+					day: 'numeric',
+					month: 'short',
+					year: 'numeric'
+				})
+			: null;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * One line where the progress bar used to be — the cover already draws the
+	 * bar, so this says something the bar cannot. Unread books report their
+	 * length rather than announcing that they are unread.
+	 */
+	function readState(book: Book): { text: string; tone: 'done' | 'reading' | 'idle' } {
+		const progress = book.progress;
+		const pages = book.pages ?? null;
+
+		if (progress?.completed) {
+			const on = finishedOn(book);
+			return { text: on ? `Finished ${on}` : 'Finished', tone: 'done' };
+		}
+
+		if (progress?.percentage) {
+			// pdf_page is a real page number when the reader recorded one;
+			// otherwise infer it from the percentage.
+			const current = progress.pdf_page ?? (pages ? Math.round(progress.percentage * pages) : null);
+
+			return {
+				text:
+					pages && current
+						? `Reading · ${current} of ${pages}`
+						: `Reading · ${Math.round(progress.percentage * 100)}%`,
+				tone: 'reading'
+			};
+		}
+
+		return { text: pages ? `${pages} pages` : '', tone: 'idle' };
+	}
+
+	function openInReader(book: Book, file: BookFile) {
+		const type = getFileType(file.filename);
+		if (type === 'EPUB' || type === 'PDF')
+			window.open(`/book/${book.id}/read/${type.toLowerCase()}/${file.id}`, '_blank', 'noopener');
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Once a selection exists, selecting is the primary interaction — so the
+	 * whole card toggles, not just the checkbox. preventDefault also stops the
+	 * links inside from navigating, since the click bubbles through them here.
+	 */
+	function handleCardClick(event: MouseEvent, book: Book) {
+		if (!selectionState.selectionModeActive) return;
+		if ((event.target as HTMLElement).closest('[data-row-control]')) return;
+
+		event.preventDefault();
+		selectionState.toggleSelection(book);
+	}
+</script>
+
+<!--
+	Detail cards: a browsable cover beside real metadata, sitting between the
+	grid (covers, no data) and the table (data, no covers). The column count
+	comes from the container rather than a breakpoint, so it reflows from one to
+	three as the sidebar opens and closes.
+-->
+<div class="grid grid-cols-[repeat(auto-fill,minmax(330px,1fr))] gap-3.5 p-1">
+	{#each books as book (book.id)}
+		{@const selected = selectionState.isSelected(book.id)}
+		{@const state = readState(book)}
+		<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events -->
+		<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_no_static_element_interactions -->
+		<div
+			onclick={(event) => handleCardClick(event, book)}
+			class="group flex gap-3.5 rounded-lg border bg-card p-3 transition-colors {selected
+				? 'border-primary bg-accent'
+				: 'border-border/60 hover:border-border'} {selectionState.selectionModeActive
+				? 'cursor-pointer'
+				: ''}"
+		>
+			<a href="/book/{book.id}" class="shrink-0">
+				<BookCover {book} height={110} />
+			</a>
+
+			<div class="flex min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col">
+				<div class="flex items-start gap-2">
+					<div class="min-w-0 flex-1">
+						<a
+							href="/book/{book.id}"
+							class="line-clamp-2 font-serif text-sm leading-snug hover:underline"
+						>
+							{book.title}
+						</a>
+						<p class="mt-0.5 truncate text-xs text-muted-foreground">{authors(book)}</p>
+					</div>
+
+					<!-- Hidden until hover, pinned once selected — as in the grid -->
+					<button
+						type="button"
+						data-row-control
+						role="checkbox"
+						aria-checked={selected}
+						aria-label="Select {book.title}"
+						onclick={() => selectionState.toggleSelection(book)}
+						class="grid size-4 shrink-0 place-items-center rounded-sm border transition-opacity {selected
+							? 'border-primary bg-primary text-primary-foreground opacity-100'
+							: 'border-muted-foreground opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 focus-visible:opacity-100'}"
+					>
+						{#if selected}
+							<Check class="size-3" />
+						{/if}
+					</button>
+				</div>
+
+				<div class="mt-2 flex flex-wrap items-center gap-1">
+					{#if year(book)}
+						<Badge variant="secondary" class="font-mono text-[10px] tabular-nums">
+							{year(book)}
+						</Badge>
+					{/if}
+					{#if book.files.length > 0}
+						<Badge variant="outline" class="font-mono text-[10px]">{formats(book)}</Badge>
+					{/if}
+					{#each book.tags.slice(0, TAG_LIMIT) as tag (tag.id)}
+						<a
+							data-row-control
+							href="/library/{libraryState.activeLibrary?.id}/view?tags={tag.id}"
+							class={badgeVariants({ variant: 'secondary' })}>{tag.name}</a
+						>
+					{/each}
+					{#if book.tags.length > TAG_LIMIT}
+						<span class="font-mono text-[10px] text-muted-foreground">
+							+{book.tags.length - TAG_LIMIT}
+						</span>
+					{/if}
+				</div>
+
+				<div class="mt-auto flex items-center gap-2 pt-2.5">
+					<!-- Actions on the left, reading state anchored bottom-right -->
+					<div
+						data-row-control
+						class="flex shrink-0 gap-1 opacity-0 transition-opacity group-hover:opacity-100"
+					>
+						{#if book.files.length > 0}
+							<Tooltip.Provider>
+								<Tooltip.Root ignoreNonKeyboardFocus>
+									<Tooltip.Trigger
+										class="{buttonVariants({ variant: 'ghost', size: 'icon' })} size-7"
+										onclick={() => openInReader(book, book.files[0])}
+									>
+										<BookOpenText class="size-4" />
+									</Tooltip.Trigger>
+									<Tooltip.Content side="bottom"><p>Read</p></Tooltip.Content>
+								</Tooltip.Root>
+							</Tooltip.Provider>
+
+							<Tooltip.Provider>
+								<Tooltip.Root ignoreNonKeyboardFocus>
+									<Tooltip.Trigger
+										class="{buttonVariants({ variant: 'ghost', size: 'icon' })} size-7"
+										onclick={() =>
+											bookOps.downloadBookFile(book.id, book.files[0].id, book.files[0].filename)}
+									>
+										<Download class="size-4" />
+									</Tooltip.Trigger>
+									<Tooltip.Content side="bottom"><p>Download</p></Tooltip.Content>
+								</Tooltip.Root>
+							</Tooltip.Provider>
+						{/if}
+
+						<BookActionsMenu {book} class="size-7" />
+					</div>
+
+					{#if state.text}
+						<span
+							class="ml-auto truncate font-mono text-xs tabular-nums {state.tone === 'done'
+								? 'font-semibold text-success'
+								: state.tone === 'reading'
+									? 'font-semibold text-flag'
+									: 'text-muted-foreground'}"
+						>
+							{state.text}
+						</span>
+					{/if}
+				</div>
+			</div>
+		</div>
+	{/each}
+</div>