However, as soon as I turned the first screw in this bookshelf, the wood completely split apart

The screws are too long and crack the wood

My wife and I really love the appearance of these shelves, I just wish that someone made some high-end versions with no blemishes, maybe a little bit heavier/sturdier, with some extra parts (one of the shelves I bought was missing a screw)... full-size versions (6'-ish) would be great too

Inferior screws

The second problem I ran into was that the screws were too long and would break through the other side and then crack the wood

The biggest negative I have is the screws are silver and gold so they do not blend into the wood.

The product didn't come with all the correct screws to assemble it

Easy to assemble, especially if you put the proper screws in the designated pre drilled holes