Coffee table books hit that gift-giving sweet spot: they're easy to find, actually useful, and somehow they always feel personal. Who wouldn't love to receive a glossy 440-page tome that shows off the best design hotels throughout the U.S., or a full color monograph of Frida Kahlo's entire body of work? Beyond being beautiful home decor, they also provide intel for future trips, inspire new hobbies, and nourish the armchair traveler in all of us.
Below, we share the best coffee tables books released this year, for that friend or family member who loves to travel. Whether they plan their getaways around art, architecture, or even surf, there's something below they'll be excited to put out on their coffee table this winter. And don't worry, we won't tell if you end up buying a few for yourself.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
On Surfing
For any surfing fanatic—or lover of surf culture—this colorful book from Venice, California-based creative collective Indoek is a great addition to the coffee table. Described by the brand as a “collection of interviews with surf luminaries,” it’s quite literally that—an almanac of Q&As with the likes of Rhonda Harper, the powerhouse behind Black Girls Surf, to snowsurfer Taro Tamai, on rainbow of colorful pages.
Great Escapes USA: The Hotel Book
The great joy of staying closer to home throughout the pandemic has been rediscovering the fantastic destinations right around us. And that includes great hotels. In that spirit, Great Escapes USA: The Hotel Book is a collection of the country’s most notable, destination-worthy lodges, inns, cabins, resorts, and more. Through the book’s 360 pages, travel to hotels as wide-ranging as The Surfrider Malibu, a cool motel on the California coast, to the upstate escape of Troutbeck in New York. Don’t be surprised if a quick read inspires trips for the entire year.
Japan 1900
For anyone whose Japan trip was canceled in the past year and a half, this beautiful hardcover is a suitable bandaid. Covering the 1900s in Japan, the book takes travelers from the hot springs of Beppu to the streets of Osaka and Tokyo, with over 700 vintage images—and, for when that trip is rebooked, itineraries across five regions of the country to follow. A beautiful ribbon bookmark makes the rosy tome feel extra special.
Santa Fe Modern: Contemporary Design in the High Desert
As any design-lover can tell you, Santa Fe has striking contemporary architecture that stuns amid the high desert setting and traditional adobe structures. This hardcover celebrates that design heritage, with a look at the destination’s rich history and the architects who have found a place in it. Consider placing this in a gift bag with anything made of hatch chiles, and you’ve officially pulled together the perfect New Mexico–themed gift.
Come Fly With Me: Flying In Style
For that friend who’s nostalgic for the golden age of travel, this new 144-page hardcover is the perfect fix. From photo editor Jodi Peckman comes this glam coffee table book, packed with images of Frank Sinatra flying Pan Am and John and Yoko waving from air stairs, to modern shots that show the glamour isn’t all gone (hello, Rihanna in sunglasses at the airport).
Frida Kahlo: The Complete Paintings
This is the coffee table book we’re tempted to keep for ourselves—a long overdue retrospective, this door-stopping volume brings together all 152 of Kahlo’s paintings, alongside personal artifacts including rarely seen photographs, diary excerpts, and letters. Because the book has been designed in what Taschen calls its XXL format—11.4 inches by 15.6—the 624-page is easy to gather around and admire.
Slim Aarons: Style
Throughout his lifetime, American photographer Slim Aarons (1916-2006) captured the lives of glamorous personalities, at home and jet setting around the world. While fabulous people and places were always his focus, fashion—both the clothing and the people who inspired it—was a common theme. This 240-page hardcover, released in October, includes photos of the style set (think Oscar de la Renta, Lily Pulitzer), sailing in the Caribbean and lounging by pools in Southern California.
Mother: A Tribute to Mother Earth
For that uncle who is hooked on Planet Earth, this coffee table book won’t disappoint. Over 320 glossy pages, award-winning wildlife photographer Masel van Oosten depicts the beauty of the natural world, on every continent. Ranging from wildlife close-ups to stunning landscape shots, black-and-white to full color, this tome of photographs has something for everyone. Plus, for each book sold, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Canopy Project, which plants trees around the world.
Gray Malin: Signed Collector's Edition
For fans of Gray Malin’s whimsical overhead shots of beaches and ski slopes, this GrayMalin.com exclusive collector’s edition, signed by the photographer himself, is a must-have. With only 500 copies to be sold, this massive tome celebrates the first decade of Malin’s work, featuring the Manhattan skyline, the sun-drenched beaches of Positano, and, on the cover, Malin’s iconic llama images taken in the Uyuni salt flats of Bolivia. It comes in a nice cloth slipcase. so don’t worry if you run out of time to wrap it.
