Daily Archives: November 30, 2014

Of Coffee Tables and Books

My husband used to chide me when I referred to the low, square-shaped table in our living room as a coffee table. “The (low rectangular) table in our family room is a coffee table,” he would say. “A square table is a cocktail table.” Well, the joke is on him. Purists say that a cocktail table can be square or round; a coffee table is round or oval. Whatever you call the low table you place in front of your sofa, if you keep a large, attractive, illustrated book on it to look at casually or inspire conversation with guests, it is a coffee table book.

The concept of books meant for display dates back to at least the 16th century. An essay by Michel de Montaigne refers to “a book to lay in the parlor window ….” This was a putdown of a book that had little literary merit but might impress those who did not take the time to read it.

Some credit David R. Brower with introducing the “modern coffee table book” to the U.S. market in 1960. His first effort in a series published for the Sierra Club was This is the American Earth, a stunning collection of Ansel Adams photos with text by Nancy Newhall. Brower may have been inspired by British tomes using the term “coffee table books”; they appeared there as far back as the 1800s.

Coffee table books have become so popular that some consider them a genre or sub-genre. Most of them feature high quality photography but some highlight art or interesting subjects. They make great gifts for people you care about … including yourself. You’re sure to find a favorite among these:
400 Photographs – Ansel Adams
The Family of Man – Edward Steichen
Life 70 Years of Extraordinary Photography – Editors of Life
The Art Book – Phaedon Press
DIGNITY: In Honor of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – Dana Gluckstein
At Home with Books – Estelle Ellis, Caroline Seebohm, Christopher Simon Sykes
Gnomes – Wil Huygen
1,000 Places to See Before You Die – Patricia Schultz
Echoes of Earth – L. Sue Baugh

Go dust and polish your coffee table (no matter what size or shape it is) and show off your favorite coffee table books.

Recommended

The third annual Chicago Book Expo will be held Saturday, December 6, 2014, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Columbia College Chicago, 1104 South Wabash. The centerpiece of the event will be an expo of Chicago area independent publishers and literary organizations on the first and eighth floors of the building. This will be an expansion of last year’s event, which was named by New City as one of the top five literary events of 2013. Come meet me and some of my colleagues at the two Off Campus Writers Workshop tables!

Collector’s quality limited first editions of Romina Power’s moving memoir/biography, Searching for My Father, Tyrone Power are now available. Please send an email to request a special order while quantities last. In film historian Matthew Hoffman’s book review of this handsomely produced book, he says it is “… a work of love that his fans will certainly love. Considering that Power himself was an avid collector of first edition books, this was a nice homage to him. Though it took years to see the light of day in this country, I can tell you that it’s been worth the wait. This is a beautifully written and compiled book for the global fans of Tyrone Power.”