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The insurmountable quest of finding the right kind of coffee table book. You’ve come to this page because you’re considering buying that certain, tailored book for someone (or yourself), but where do you even begin? There’s no shame in admitting the drab, ensuing thought: will people even look through these coffee table books? What’s it worth in the end? Do all our well-intended efforts only portend an infinite fear of the unknown, the abandoned?

Narrowing down a goliath, briefly existential, list isn’t exactly enjoyable. So to lighten your burden, why not take a look at the 55 best coffee table books below. These are more than a series of delectable photographs and texts to skim through once, destined to collect dust. They’re books you’ll want to come back to, each time with a new perspective on the world around you. You’ll want to recommend these coffee table books no matter where or who you are in life.

1) Taschen The New York Times: 36 Hours World edited by Barbara Ireland

Step into some of the world’s most enthralling cities in Taschen’s travel series of The New York Times. From A to Z, the writers of the Times will transport you with their customized itineraries. Get ready to start booking your flights to Barcelona or Nairobi. This traveler’s delight makes for one of the best coffee table books to have.

2) 30,000 Years of Art: : The Story of Human Creativity across Time and Space edited by Phaidon Editors

How can one compress 30,000 years of art into 640 pages? Phaidon brings the perfect coffee table book to not only get lost in but understand how our humanity is so intrinsically tied to art. Presenting art from diverse regions and eras, it’s a celebration of how people have seen, and continue to see, their world.

3) Resident Dog: Incredible Homes and the Dogs That Live There by Nicole England

This one’s for the dog lovers. Nicole England’s love letter to the stunning homes and their indelible dogs stands as one of the best coffee table books around. No matter what countryside retreat or modern penthouse apartment you find, a dog is always near. Never far.

Best Coffee Table Books (Continued)

4) Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey

Mason Currey’s collection of creative wisdom is the recommended coffee table book for the artists in your life. Discover how over 150 painters, poets, playwrights, philosophers, mathematicians, novelists, and scientists navigate their daily mantras. From Jane Austen to Franz Kafka, enlighten yourself with the mundane and bizarre practices of these artists who loved, and hated, their work.

5) The NASA Archives by Piers Bizony, Andrew Chaikin, Dr. Roger Launius

In 1958, a year after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – otherwise known as NASA – was frantically formed. Over its history spanning six decades, NASA has sent people to the Moon and forever altered our understanding of our planet’s role in the cosmos. The NASA Archives is one of the best coffee tables not just for space lovers but anyone interested in our most ambitious journey beyond Earth.

6) Vogue Paris: 100 Years by Vogue Editors

What better coffee table book to give to your fashionista than one of Vogue’s past 100 years? Starting from the 1920s until 2020, this curation by the editors of Vogue is a celebration of art and culture at the apex of high fashion. It’s also a commemoration of the iconic magazine itself, throughout the rapidly changing times and politics over the past century.

Best Coffee Table Books (Continued)

7) Women Holding Things by Maira Kalman

What originally started as a soon sold-out pamphlet in 2021 is now a compendium to behold that expands the lens on women. The title refers to all that women hold, from the home and family to the work of the world and memories. Sift through pages of vibrant artwork, most of which are portraits of women both ordinary and renowned. This highly recommended coffee table book is a triumphant tribute to life itself.

8) Andy Warhol Polaroids 1958-1987 by Richard B. Woodard, Reuel Golden, Meredith Mendelsohn

Taschen collaborated with none other than the Andy Warhol Foundation when putting together the emblem of the artist’s instant pictures. It’s an exquisite snippet into the lives of those who surrounded Warhol and who passed him by. Discover snapshots of familiar faces like Dolly Parton and Audrey Hepburn to anonymous figures whose names we may never know. Modern art aficionados might very well hail this as one of the best coffee table books to date.

9) A 1000xBetter: A Rebel By Design by Kirsten Blazek

Interior designer Kirsten Blazek shares her philosophy of sustainability in holistic design, combining vintage with contemporary elements. She shows us how to create a home that is mindful of our environment and retains personal style. Whether it’s reusing what we already have or focusing on newer yet eco-friendly products, Blazek empowers her readers and viewers with the agency to design a dream home. This one’s a top recommended coffee book for anyone remotely interested in home decor and interior design.

Best Coffee Table Books (Continued)

10) The Art of Pixar: The Complete Colorscripts from 25 Years of Feature Films by Sharon Calahan, Harley Jessup and Ralph Eggleston

This 25th-anniversary, expanded edition reveals the stunning colorscripts created behind-the-scenes at the animation studio that brought us Toy Story. In case you’re wondering what coloscripts are, they’re sequential paintings that portray each crucial moment from a film. Colorscripts are utilized to set the tone, color and lighting throughout the entire process of creating a movie. This book contains colorscripts from Onwards, Soul, Coco, Inside Out and Brave. It’s the perfect coffee book gift for film lovers and Pixar fans, young or old.

11) Nitehawk Cinema Presents: Movie-Inspired Menus from Brooklyn’s Dine-In Theater by Matthew Viragh

Chances are, you haven’t seen a book like this one. If you’ve ever spent some time in Brooklyn, you might have heard of the Nitehawk Cinema, an independent dine-in theater. This delicious book showcases Nitehawk’s famous recipes and menus, each curated to a film. The intention is for readers to recreate the dine-in theater magic right from their home. For Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite fans, you’ll find an instant ramyun recipe like the one the Park family ate in the film. Or perhaps you’re in the mood for a rum cocktail while you watch The Shining. Matthew Viragh’s Nitehawk Cinema Presents is undeniably one of the best coffee table books to share with everyone you know.

12) The New Black West: Photographs from America’s Only Touring Black Rodeo by Gabriela Hasbun

The modern Black cowboys of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo are the stars of Gabriela Hasbun’s photographs in The New Black West. History of the American West has more often failed to acknowledge the powerful presence and contribution of the Black cowboy. As the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo honors the community and achievements of Black cowboys across the country, Habun captures their joy and riveting spirit for over a decade. This book won’t be one that just sits on your coffee table.

More of the best coffee table books for 2024 and of all time…

Best music coffee table books

13) Taschen 1000 Record Covers by Michael Ochs

14)  by Bob Dylan

15) The Rolling Stones: Updated Edition edited by Reuel Golden

16) edited by Jon Savage and Stuart Baker

Best Coffee Table Books (Continued)

17) by Gideon Schwartz

18) 1964: Eyes of the Storm by Paul McCartney

19) edited by Vikki Tobak

20) Terry O’Neill: The A-Z of Rock ‘N’ Roll by Terry O’Neill CBE

Best travel coffee table books

21) Universe The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big & Small by Kath Stathers

22) A Booklover’s Guide to New York by Cleo Le-Tan

23) The Life and Love of the Sea by Lewis Blackwell

24) Destinations of a Lifetime, 225 of the World’s Most Amazing Places by National Geographic Society

25) Great Escapes USA: The Hotel Book by Angelika Taschen

26) Gray Malin: Italy by Gray Malin

Best film and media coffee table books

27) by Bob Willoughby and Christopher Willoughby

28) Archive by Sofia Coppola

29) Accidentally Wes Anderson by Amanda Koval and Wally Koval

30) Game Changers: The Video Game Revolution by Phaidon Editors

Best art and fashion coffee table books

31) Dream Baby Dream by Jimmy Marble

32) Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion by Mitchell S. Jackson

33) by Silas Munro

34) Kusama: Cosmic Nature by Joanna L. Groarke

Best Coffee Table Books (Continued)

35) Glamour: 30 Years of Women Who Have Reshaped the World by Glamour Magazine

36) by Christopher Laverty

37) Among Others: Blackness at MoMA edited by Darby English and Charlotte Barat

38) Dalí: The Paintings: 1904-1989 by Robert Descharnes and Gilles N’Ret

Best nature, life sciences and space coffee table books

39) Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings by Sarah Kennel, Sarah Greenough, Drew Gilpin Faust, Hilton Als, Malcolm Daniel

40) Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom by Phaidon Editors

41) Let’s Get Lost: The World’s Most Stunning Remote Locations by Finn Beales

Best Coffee Table Books (Continued)

42) Animal: Exploring the Zoological World by Giovanni Aloi

43) The Secret Language of Astrology: The Illustrated Key to Unlocking the Secrets of the Stars by Roy Gillett

44) Moving to Mars: Design for the Red Planet edited by Andrew Nahum, Justin McGuirk, Eleanor Watson

Best food coffee table books

45)

46) Room for Dessert by Will Goldfarb

47) The Kaufmann Mercantile Guide: How to Split Wood, Shuck an Oyster, and Master Other Simple Pleasures by Sebastian Kaufmann, Alexandra Redgrave, Jessica Hundley

Best lifestyle coffee table books

48) Of Cats and Men by Sam Kalda

49) The Street Philosophy of Garry Winogrand by Geoff Dyer

50) St. Martin’s Press Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton

51) Queer Maximalism by Elissa Auther, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond, David Román, Taylor Mac, Madison Moor

Best design coffee table books

52) Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style by Architectural Architectural Digest, Amy Astley (Introduction), Anna Wintour (Foreword by)

53) Pools From Above by Brad Walls

54) Designing Broadway: How Derek McLane and Other Acclaimed Set Designers Create the Visual World of Theatre by Eila Mell and Derek McLane

55) Remarkable Football Grounds by Ryan Herman

Recommended coffee table books for a reason

No matter who you’re browsing for, the list above covers the art student, world traveler, space fan, aspiring filmmaker, music lover and many more. You also don’t need to be any of these things, and that might be why they’re the best, timeless coffee table books.

 Additional Resources 

• 101 Best Audiobooks of All Time
• AP Lit Reading List – 50 Best Books to Read
• 12 Best College Guides
• 60 Best Short Stories for High School Kids
• Books to Read Before You Die