In Defense Of Coffee Table Books, Your Kids

Big beautiful coffee table books. I probably have too many of them for the space that we live in. But that’s a subjective matter. We all kind of love coffee table books. They make excellent decoration, pretty good doorstops. They definitely serve as a not quite so subtle social signal for anyone who might visit your home as to the type of person you are, your interests, passions, et cetera. Gorgeous photography, design, heft, price. As I ponder the stacks and think to myself, we could probably all use fewer coffee table books

Really though I do think there is reason to keep them and maybe even collect a few more, your kids. Coffee table books, and by now I am also lumping in any large oversized format book that takes up a good amount of space, can fill a potential void in your home if you have kids. The vast majority of our information and the time that we spend to any research and entertainment is probably focused online, which is useful but also kind of a shame. When I was a kid, the internet was in its relative infancy, I was a little older. I remember my parents having a reasonable but good collection of art books from museums and elsewhere. We also had a full set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I would spend hours sitting down and leafing through the books, looking at the pictures. And as I learned to read I loved flopping on the floor and going through the encyclopedia. Good entertainment and really got me thinking imagining. My mind out there.

Have to admit not sure if we should have a full set of encyclopedias anymore. I definitely do not have the shelf space for it. But a varied collection of coffee table books should definitely be kept and even placed in such a way (think lower down shelves) to encourage your kids to flp through them. Explore, discover.