Terminalcoffee discussion

Does anyone here have any big, unwieldy coffee table books? What are good ones? How do you read them? I mean, do you sort of page through them at your leisure?

I have a few--Impressionist painters, antique quilts,, historical fashion, a couple of books on ancient Chinese art and artifacts. I've got my eye on The Horse: From Cave Paintings to Modern Art but it's expensive. I like looking at pictures! The little bits of text are usually just enough.

i have no coffee table.

Mary wrote: "I have a few--Impressionist painters, antique quilts,, historical fashion, a couple of books on ancient Chinese art and artifacts. I've got my eye on [book:The Horse: From Cave Paintings to Modern ..."

What Mary said, like exactly. Like, totally. We must live in the same house and share the same coffee table. I love me some coffee table books. Except I must confess mine pretty much stays pushed under the piano so that the kid can play in the living room without cracking his coconut open on said coffee table.

I have the Book A Day in the Life of America, and a picture book of Wisconsin that I would have to find the title of. They are both in the book case right now, not on a coffee table. They both have great photographs in them.

i bought a great 2 yr old world atlas at our library book sale that is like 18" high by 12" wide for $2. my wife won't let it sit on the coffee table as she is a decorating elitist but it would be cool on one.

I have Wisconsin Death Trip sitting on my coffee table right now. Strange coincidence.

Jim wrote: "I have the Book A Day in the Life of America, and a picture book of Wisconsin that I would have to find the title of. They are both in the book case right now, not on a coffee table..."

I have a couple of "Day in the Life of . . ." books, but none currently on the table.

you know this brings to mind the seinfield episodes where kramer tries to market an actual book that is a table

I have a few, mostly nice photo books: Annie Leibovitz Women and Olympic Portraits, Dangerous Curves: The Art of the Guitar, the Martin guitars anniversary book. And a whole bunch of gorgeous horse books that I have accumulated since childhood.

I gave mine away when I moved from Las Vegas to NH. I just could not take all my books.

I have the Goldsworthy one, with the spiral of broken stones on the cover.

Kevin "El Liso Grande" wrote: "i bought a great 2 yr old world atlas at our library book sale that is like 18" high by 12" wide for $2. my wife won't let it sit on the coffee table as she is a decorating elitist but it would be ..."

ohhhhh, I love an atlas. I love maps. Framed out for the wall, tucked into books and anywhere. They are such a weakness. I remember falling madly in love with a guy on a first date (for about an hour) when we went back to his apartment for his forgotten phone and I saw a great big old antique map of Texas on his wall.

King Dinösaur wrote: "Kevin, I was just going to say that! I love that idea!

Mary, "Wisconsin Death Trip" is awesome.

I have a few, but my manic landlord (who I share the house with) can't stand to see books laying a..."

What an evil, horrid man.

Joanne wrote: "I have the Goldsworthy one, with the spiral of broken stones on the cover."

Good choice.

I have some art books, and some design books...the biggest one is John Singer Sargent. I have a coffee table but there are no books on it.

I have the Sargent book too. The text by Carter Ratcliff is excellent--a very good introduction to Sargent's life and work.

An unusual coffee-table book that uses the format in a creative and effective way is Churches by Judith Dupre. It's enormous and includes floor plans of mediaeval cathedrals and lots of high-quality photography. You really feel like you're entering the buildings.

Oh, that's good to know about Ratcliff. I just assumed because it was a coffee table book that the text would be terrible! (I got it for $2 at a sidewalk sale.)

I really enjoy Sargent's work. The first ones I ever saw were at the Clark in Williamstown, MA.

That's a good price, LG--can't beat $2.

A lot of times these "coffee-table" art books--including many brought out by Abrams, Rizzoli, Thames & Hudson, and other major art-book publishers--don't offer a particularly good text to accompany the pictures, but that Sargent one is very well done. Exhibition catalogues are often a good bet if you're really looking to learn something about the art, although the range of work reproduced will of course be limited by the contents of the show in question.

I just picked this up today for free, in quite good condition. Huge, heavy book. Nice score.



Rembrandt : His Life, His Work, His Time by Bob Haak

Lucky you!

For free! So jealous.

I have many but none are currently occupying the coffee table. The last two that were there were Bird Songs: Of North America and this one:

Nice.