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Post by Caulder Melhaire on Mar 3, 2024 14:34:06 GMT -6
I came across a video the other day in the format of "What the book on your coffee table says about you." Based on the accusations being levied, I was, fortunately, not ensnared by any of them. But it got me to thinking: what makes a good coffee table book to people? If you have something of the sort, what book(s) do you have on display and why? Are they meant to show an expression of your self, are they a humble brag, are they a test to clock something about your guests? Are they just aesthetically pleasing? Is it really as simple as an invitation to converse about the book/author/topic? Are they novels, picture books, art books, encyclopedias?
The ones on mine right now are:
- Good Omens, Terry Pratchet & Neil Gaimain: just because it's a fantastic read and I love to get anyone I can to borrow my copy.
- From Here to Eternity, Caitlin Doughty: I love Caitlin's work with the Order of the Good Death; her videos and musings on reclaiming the idea of death from the funeral industry helped me with a lot of my own reservations about death and what comes after. I think it's just a weirdly good conversation starter for anyone who picks them up and asks "what the heck is this about?"
- Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lesson from the Crematory, Cailtin Doughty: same as the last one.
- A playbill from Wicked, mostly so I can chatter about my trip to New York to anyone who isn't sick of me talking about it.
- Whatever I'm currently reading, because I usually plop down to read on the couch
What about y'all?
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Post by saintofm on Mar 5, 2024 20:49:35 GMT -6
Currently in the moving process so most of my books are in storage. But I had a couple big books out at all times, one on Castles and another with Dinosaurs (plenty of pictures of each, as well as in depth descriptions of different castles and dinos respectively)
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Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Mar 7, 2024 6:27:25 GMT -6
Personally, some coffee table books go too far in the visual department. Yeah, a picture's worth a thousand words. But if you put a paragraph of 100 words next to a picture, then you'll get 1100 words. If your coffee table book is just a bunch of big pictures and no text, then my friend, that's not a book. That's just a Pinterest board printed onto paper.
A good coffee table book educates. It gives you the history and context and culture behind each of the coffee tables being shown on the page. For pure educational value, I think A History of Humankind in 100 Coffee Tables is hard to beat. It tracks the development of coffee tables from their infancy, back when they were used as tea tables before coffee was invented. It also takes a look at how the coffee table has evolved over the ages. Like, did you know coffee tables used to be coffee benches? You both sat on and put stuff on your coffee table.
The selection of coffee tables in a coffee table book should also have some personality, some quirk. That's a big thing for me. I don't want your typical Coffee Tables of 2024 or Modern Coffee Table Design. Bleh. Try Famous People And Their Less-Famous Coffee Tables instead. Showcases a selection of famous people's coffee tables. From Plato's supposed coffee table (the one he sat on while he wrote the Iliad. Remember they used to be coffee benches?) to Hemingway's coffee table that was never used, to Man Ray's surrealist table (four furry table legs. You're supposed to lie on the legs and essentially become the table you want to be).
/j
I like to see art/photography/fashion books on coffee tables. I have a book of Georgia O'Keefe's paintings and another book that collects famous Life magazine photos. Both look really nice on my bookshelf. I also like hardcovers or books with beautiful covers as coffee table books. For me, a nice candidate for a coffee table book should be both aesthetically pleasing and a conversation starter.
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You add them to your profile as you do them around the forum.
