In the classical book embedding problem, an n-page book is formed by connecting n half-planes (the pages) together at a common line (the spine) in 3-space. To embed a graph in a book, we place the vertices of the graph on the spine and the edges of the graph on the pages of the book so that no two edges cross each other or the spine. The book thickness of a graph is the smallest n for which the graph admits an n-book embedding. Through the work of Paul Kainen and others, many results for the classical book embedding problem are known. 

We will examine some of the classical results, including edge bounds and characterizations of one and two-page embeddable graphs. The optimal book-thickness for several families of graphs will be discussed, including some recent results for the book-thickness of zero-divisor graphs of commutative rings. We will also look at some generalizations of books by modifying the spine and the pages.