Coffee table books are a great gift. I often give them as housewarming presents. Here are a few of my favorites.
This one, from The New York Times, features selections from their book review column. From their panning of Anne of Green Gables to reviews and essays by Langston Hughes and Nora Ephron, it’s an interesting read and looks great on your coffee table.
Other books that fit nicely into most decor include: Architectural Digest’s 100 years of Style and Made for Living. My coffee table features this book on Yellowstone and another on the American West. I also love The Travel Book.
Do you have a favorite coffee table book? Leave it in the comments.
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I just gave the American West book to my mom for her birthday and she loves it (she likes the west and black and white photography). The book is very heavy and has great pictures.
I have the NatGeo: The Most Popular Instgram Photos book, which is not large but great as a coffee table decoration and a casual conversation-starter. Obviously the pictures are great, and someone doesn’t need much subject area knowledge to go “Oooh, look at that beautiful ocean shot.”
Some favorites for various altitudes: The Man Behind the Maps: Legendary Ski Artist James Niehues, NatGeo’s 100 Dives of a Lifetime, The Life and Love of the Sea (Lewis Blackwell)
I purchased the NYT book on book reviews immediately (and Amazon delivered it already). I LOVE this book. I already had my dad’s Christmas gift but so tempted to give this to him now instead of keeping it for his birthday. Great recommendation, thank you!!!
The Nieheus ski-map book is awesome, and I love the Ken Burns Nat’l Parks book, and Rolling Stone mag covers anthology too. My boyfriend was also given a very funny coffee-table book called “Extraordinary Chickens”, and that’s the one that everyone picks up first!
A lot of old comic strips have been made into coffee table books that make great gifts for older relatives, especially grandparents! It’s so sweet for a grandchild and grandparent to look through a big book of comic strips from the grandparent’s childhood, but even if the recipient isn’t a grandparent it’s still a fun walk down memory lane and nice conversation piece.
If you know the recipient’s childhood favorites, try to find those, but some classics are Peanuts, Calvin & Hobbes, BC, Wizard of Id, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace, and Garfield.