There is a huge difference between a desk that is fully made from a wood, and one that simply has a very specific "wood finish." One of the most common examples of this is a difference between a cherry wood writing desk and a cherry finish writing desk. While these sound similar, and to some extent are similar, they also have some very important differences. Before making a decision on purchasing any piece of "cherry" furniture, you will want to make sure you know what these differences are.
Many, if not most, of the office desks that you'll find in stores like Office Max will be wood panel desks or wood finish. This means that a cherry desk from this store will most likely not be made completely out of cherry wood, but be made out of a lot of plastic, rubber, plywood, or other cheaper materials that are made with a finish that is designed to look like cherry wood. In this way, the old fashioned model of desks that were completely made out of wood are harder and harder to find.
Solid Bookcase
A true cherry wood desk is going to be more solid and designed to last. It's also likely to be much heavier since it will be made entirely out of wood as opposed to plastic, rubber, or other lighter materials. A true wood desk is probably going to cost more, as well, because of the work and craftsmanship that goes into it.
This is the big difference you're going to see between a wood desk and a wood finish or wood panel desk. Before making a purchase, be sure to know which you're getting.