Best List of Gifts for Readers – Coffee Table Books

Recommended coffee table books from an expert

I went to buy something at the Gap yesterday and while I was paying at the cash register, it suddenly hit me that Christmas songs had been playing over the speakers the entire time I was in the store.  “Christmas songs?” I said to the cashier, “Really?  Already?”  She sighed and said, “It does seem early, doesn’t it?”

Anyway, right or wrong, listening to “Rudolph the Rednosed etc.” made me realize that the gifting holidays are right around the corner, and since we all want to make sure there’s time to order THROUGH OUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES, we should start thinking about the best gift books out there.    (Actually, doing gift lists for the holidays was Kim’s idea, not mine–but you knew that already, didn’t you?)

So over the next few weeks, expect to find a bunch of blogs from us with suggestions from different kinds of experts for some of the best gifting books out there.  Let us know if you want us to cover a specific area or subject.   And if you want to add to our lists, feel free  to in the comments.

Our first list comes from bookstore owner and friend Katie O’Laughlin, of Village Books in Pacific Palisades.   Because nothing says “gift” quite like a coffee table book (well, you’re not about to buy one of those behemoths for yourself, are you?), I’m going to start with her list of those.

To order any of the following, feel free to contact Village Books (310 454-4063)–they wrap for free and will ship for you–or if you have an indie that’s closer to you, order from them.  (Go pick it up yourself–that gives you a chance to browse the new books and find something fun to read when your relatives are visiting over Thanksgiving and you want to just sneak off somewhere quiet and be alone for a while.  I’m not saying I’D ever do something like that, I’m just saying it’s an option).

Katie’s recommendations for beautiful coffee table books

Animal Life, by Charlotte Uhlenbroek (DK, Oct 2008, $50). The ultimate authority on what makes animals tick, this amazing work explores and explains every aspect of animal behavior in stunning, awe-inspiring action sequences and in-depth prose.

Art: The Definitive Guide, by DK Publishing (DK, Oct 2008, $50). A visual guide to more than 2,500 of the world’s most revered paintings and sculptures. From how to look at works by great masters to explaining key movements, styles and techniques, this is the quintessential guide to the world of art.

The Encyclopedia of Earth: A Complete Visual Guide, by Michael Allaby (UC Press, Sept 2008, $39.95). With thousands of photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and maps and a text written by a team of international experts, this sumptuously illustrated, beautifully written encyclopedia appeals to a wide range of readers. It presents an impressive overview of our globe – beginning with the history of the universe and ending with today’s conservation issues.

Gardens Private & Personal: A Garden Club of America Book, by Nancy D’Oench (HNA, Oct 2008, $50). More than 90 gardens all around the U.S. were photographed especially for this book by Mick Hales, one of the world’s leading garden photographers. Organized according to parts of the garden – entryways, herbaceous borders, water features, hedges, etc. – the pictures are accompanied by insightful commentaries and extended captions, and quotes by the garden owners.

L.A. Modern, by Tim Street-Porter (Rizzoli, Oct 2008, $75). Acclaimed architecture and design photographer Street-Porter captures the best Modernist architecture of Lost Angeles, from the seminal Neutra houses to the idiosynchratic structures by Frank Gehry. With iconic buildings by Craig Ellwood, Pierre Koenig, John Lautner, Charles and Ray Eames, and Oscar Niemeyer, among others.
Louvre: 400 Masterpieces, by Erich Lessing (HNA, Oct 2008, $40). This perfect book for museum lovers, art lovers and Francophiles, showcases a selection of works from the most famous – the “Venus de Milo” and “Mona Lisa”- to lessor known gems. With a foreword by the institutions’s director, the book is organized according to the museum’s eight departments.

Performance: Richard Avedon, by Richard Avedon (Abrams, Oct 2008, $75). More than 200 of the preeminent stars and artists of the performing arts from the second half of the 20th century are portrayed in Performance, many in photographs that have been rarely or never been seen before. The celebrated author and critic John Lahr offers an elegant assessment of Avedon’s achievement. Four talented artists from the performing arts – Mike Nichols, Andre Gregory, Mitsuko Uchida and Twyla Tharp – contribute lively and moving memoirs about their collaborations with Avedon.

Vanity Fair: The Portaits: A Century of Iconic Images, by Graydon Carter (Abrams, Sept 2008, $65). Vanity Fair brings together 300 iconic portraits from Vanity Fair’s 95-year history in a remarkable book that captures the image of modern fame. There’s almost as much celebrity behind the lens as in front of it: Edward Steichen, Herb Ritts, Mario Testino, David LaChapelle and Annie Liebovitz are all included, and the portraits themselves amount to a who’s who of culture and politics.  The New York Times recently reviewed this book.

Yves Saint Laurent: Style, by Pierre Berge (Abrams, Sept 2008, $50). This retrospective book is the first to cover the forty years of Yves Saint Laurent and highlights the inventive character of the designer’s work. Over 160 of his finest designs and accessories, all taken from the Foundation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint-Laurent collection, are presented.

X-Rays: See Through the World Around You, by Nick Veasey (Viking, Oct. 2008, $39.95). Using security scanners and x-ray machines, Veasey creates beautiful, unsettling, inside-out images that reveal the intricacy of everyday objects. Whether the spectacle of an x-rayed Boeing 777, the elaborate geometry of an mp3 player as circuit boards, or the ethereal grace of a daffodil, each page of this book is an absorbing work of art.

HAPPY GIFTING!