Ever wondered why we call them "coffee table books"? I always found it a bit odd.
So I looked into it.
The story of coffee table books is a tale of culture, art, and the eternal human desire to impress our guests. And it goes back much further than you might think.
Picture this: It's 1580. Michel de Montaigne is vexed that his essays "only serve the ladies for a common movable, a book to lay in the parlor window."
Fast forward to 1759. Laurence Sterne fears his work might become "a book for a parlor window."
These weren't coffee table books yet. They were the great-great-grandparents: "nonbooks."
But coffee table books are not just any book you happen to leave on your coffee table. (Sorry, that dog-eared paperback doesn't count.)
Coffee table books are:
- Large format
- Highly visual leaning into illustrations and photography
- Often focused on a topic that can be expressed through the art or design
In other words, they're books meant to be seen as much as read.
The 1920s saw a plot twist in our story. Books became... furniture. People started using books to showcase their personalities without ever cracking the spine. Emily Post even instructed readers on how to create fake bindings for decorative purposes. They called it "bookaflage." Even Gatsby got in on the action. Remember those "absolutely real" books in his library? But the real ancestors of coffee table books were photo books and art books. The first photo book, "The Pencil of Nature," hit the scene in 1844. Then came Phaidon with their large-format art books in the 1930s. The Coffee Table Enters Stage Left.
Now, here's where it gets interesting.
The 1960s. Central heating becomes a thing. Suddenly, furniture doesn't have to huddle around the fireplace. Enter the coffee table. Mass-produced, ready to fill that new space in your living room. And what do you put on a coffee table? A coffee table book, of course. But who coined the term "coffee table book"? Some say the Brits were using it back in the 1800s. Others credit David Brower and his Sierra Club books in the 1960s. Either way, by 1960, "coffee table book" was officially part of our lexicon.
So why did coffee table books become so popular?
- They can be aesthetically pleasing amongst our interiors
- They make great conversation starters
- They're an easy way to display our interests and tastes to guests
So what sucks about them according to their biggest critics?
- "Nobody ever actually reads them"
- "They're just expensive dust collectors"
- "They're more about showing off than actual content"
Ouch. Harsh, but there is some truth there. Radioposter is an attempt to give coffee table books more personality – and if we do our job right, the type of personality you’d meet at a party and want to spend time with
So to you, dear reader: Next time you see a coffee table book and it carries the Radioposter label, don't just admire the cover.
Open it. Explore it. Let it surprise you.
Because this new genre of coffee table books isn’t just decoration.
It’s an invitation to get lost in print.