A writing desk or bureau acts as a kind of compact office

Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...

. Traditionally, a writing desk is for writing letters by hand. It usually has a top that closes to hide current work, which makes the room containing it look tidy, maintains privacy, and protects the work. The closing top may contain several joints so that it can roll closed, or may simply fold closed. The writing surface (or place for lap-top) typically folds down (perhaps being the lid) or slides out, to preserve the compact size when closed. They often have small drawers or "pigeon holes".

Modern writing desks are designed for laptop computers. They are typically too small for most desktop computer

Desktop computer

A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright...

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Literary reference

"The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he SAID was, 'Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'", Alice in Wonderland