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Ask HN: Coffee table books
I was wondering what coffee table books people could recommend that would be relevant to the HN community? Aside from the obvious "Designed by Apple"
- foxh0und 9y agoDieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible is quite a nice one.
- ericwood 9y agoI have this one sitting out and it's a joy to flip through: Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed The beauty of Soviet brutalism: A photographic record of 90 weird and wonderful buildings from the last decades of the USSR https://www.amazon.com/Frederic-Chaubin-Communist-Constructions-Photographed/dp/3836525194 https://www.amazon.com/Frederic-Chaubin-Communist-Constructi...
- dingaling 9y agoA couple on that theme: Soviet Bus Stops http://fuel-design.com/publishing/soviet-bus-stops/ http://fuel-design.com/publishing/soviet-bus-stops/ Gas Tanks, Water Towers, Blas Furnaces or anything else by the Bechers https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/sep/03/bernd-and-hilla-becher-cataloguing-the-ominous-sculptural-forms-of-industrial-architecture https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/sep/03/bernd-a...
- znpy 9y ago"Making the World Work Better: The Ideas That Shaped a Century and a Company" by IBM Press https://www.redbooks.ibm.com/Redbooks.nsf/ibmpressisbn/9780132755108?Open https://www.redbooks.ibm.com/Redbooks.nsf/ibmpressisbn/97801...
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- Dowwie 9y ago"Designing Interactions" by Bill Moggridge https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interactions-Press-Bill-Moggridge/dp/0262134748 https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interactions-Press-Bill-Mog... He passed away in 2012. I wish someone wrote a worth revised edition.
- hsitz 9y agoI think any of the Edward Tufte books qualify, starting with _The Visual Display of Quantitative Information_: https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142 https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati...
- sbuttgereit 9y agoOne I have (and use as a coffee table book) is "Core Memory: A Visual Survey of Vintage Computers". May be out of print though... https://www.amazon.com/Core-Memory-Visual-Vintage-Computers/dp/0811854426 https://www.amazon.com/Core-Memory-Visual-Vintage-Computers/...
- dep_b 9y agoA Basquiat book by Taschen. Can't go wrong with Basquiat among liberal people https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/49203/facts.basquiat.htm https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/49203/fac...
- lqet 9y agoHow about a coffee table book about coffee tables?
- peteforde 9y agoThis exists, and I have it on my coffee table.
- Malic 9y agoThe Making of Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' by Taschen. This isn't a book so much to be read is it is to be /studied/.
- hprotagonist 9y ago“accidents in north american mountaineering”, a publication of the american alpine club.
- aj_g 9y agoor 50 classic/100 favorite climbs books
- hprotagonist 9y agoFreedom of the Hills is actually a great coffee table book. The material is somewhat dated for free-climbing, but it's a great book to read.
- rainloft 9y agoThe Medium is the Massage by Marshall McLuhan. https://www.amazon.com/Medium-Massage-Marshall-McLuhan/dp/1584230703 https://www.amazon.com/Medium-Massage-Marshall-McLuhan/dp/15... He combines words and images in a style that inspired Wired magazine. The book is about the influence of technology on how and what humans communicate and think. Your guests will be flipping the book upside-down and looking at the reversed image in a mirror at times. It's entertaining as well as informative!
- gt_ 9y agoWhile not bad (I have it) this is not Marshall Mcluhan's work. It is some other guy's. The text is ripped from Marshall Mcluhan's work of the same name which is a for more exploratory work and not fit for a 2017 coffee table.
- hugofirth 9y agoThing Explainer by Randall Munroe is a book of blueprint-like diagrams drawn in xkcd style explaining complex systems simply. Its great fun!
- kev009 9y agoCore Memory: A Visual Survey of Vintage Computers
- egypturnash 9y agoI really need to get the online store for my three-foot wide graphic novel back up. It's about a robot lady with Philip K. Dick problems, and is generally the Kind Of Sci-Fi Fiction Nerds Like. Trust me, you need a coffee table to read it. http://egypt.urnash.com/rita/ http://egypt.urnash.com/rita/
- QUFB 9y agoTales From The Loop https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Loop-Simon-St%C3%A5lenhag/dp/1624650392 https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Loop-Simon-St%C3%A5lenhag/dp/16... Received it as a gift from my brother-in-law.
- qmarchi 9y agoIf not super related to HN, Blink and Outliers are good options to both read and have laying around :P
- askafriend 9y agoPoorly Drawn Lines is a great set of comics to have on your coffee table. Check it out!
- QAPereo 9y ago‘Gravitation’ by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler. It is still a tremendous resource for all of the science and math of Special and General Relativity. A bit off topic, but I’d add the complete collections of Calvin & Hobbes, The Far Side, and Bloom County.
- semi-extrinsic 9y agoI recently bought Haynes' SR71 Blackbird Owner's Workshop Manual. It's a great book about a great airplane, not just a fun title.
- pavlov 9y agoI use C.G. Jung's "The Red Book". It's imposingly large, very red, and full of impenetrable medieval-style German handwriting and disconcerting drawings documenting Jung's dreams and visions circa World War I. There is an English translation at the end, and if people ask, it's fair to pretend that I've read it because I do skim a few pages occasionally.
- xtiansimon 9y agoOka, Hideyuki. How to Wrap Five Eggs. 1975. If you're a designer, this book might just make you lose your mind. [1]: https://books.google.com/books/about/How_to_Wrap_Five_Eggs.html?id=8rIBEm3ZVgsC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button https://books.google.com/books/about/How_to_Wrap_Five_Eggs.h...
- syedkarim 9y agoThe Art of Electronics, 3rd Edition, by Paul Horowitz https://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266 https://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521...
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- SteveNuts 9y agoI like "Lies my Teacher Told Me"
- josephpmay 9y agoMy room project: http://myroomphotos.com/ http://myroomphotos.com/ Tales from the Loop: https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Loop-Simon-St%C3%A5lenhag/dp/1624650392 https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Loop-Simon-St%C3%A5lenhag/dp/16...
- jdswain 9y agoI think 'Revolution in the valley' could qualify, it's not really a coffee table book, but the stories are so short you can pick it up and read one in a few minutes. There is also 'Appledesign: The Work of the Apple Industrial Design Group', it's old and out of print but it's got some really interesting prototypes in there. As others have mentioned there is also Dieter Rams book and Core Memory. Might I also suggest Knuth?
- gvb 9y agoThe Art of Engineering http://www.kirkhammotorsports.com/book_aoe/aoe_22.pdf http://www.kirkhammotorsports.com/book_aoe/aoe_22.pdf
- dmitrygr 9y agoSled Driver https://www.amazon.com/Sled-Driver-Flying-Worlds-Fastest/dp/0929823087 https://www.amazon.com/Sled-Driver-Flying-Worlds-Fastest/dp/...
- zulln 9y agoInformation is beautiful. All kind of statistic visualised in a beautiful but still informative way. http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/books/ http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/books/
- alexhutcheson 9y agoI really like Around the World: The Atlas for Today[1]. Fascinating content and great graphical presentation. [1] https://smile.amazon.com/Around-World-Atlas-Andrew-Losowsky/dp/3899554973 https://smile.amazon.com/Around-World-Atlas-Andrew-Losowsky/...
- the-dude 9y agoObligatory : Seinfelds episode about the 'Coffee table book about coffee tables'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE5ROl2YPbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE5ROl2YPbs This Ask HN must be a prank.
- T0k9sy_ 9y agoMy favourite is by the illustrator Mr Bingo - it is called Hate Mail, and it features illustrations and hand-drawn typography on real postcards that were sent to real people - features lots of swearing NSFW https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hate-Mail-DEFINITIVE-COLLECTION-Bingo/dp/1910931462 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hate-Mail-DEFINITIVE-COLLECTION-Bin...
- malloreon 9y agoI consider the omplete Calvin & Hobbes collection to be the perfect coffee table book. Bust it out at a random moment and receive the sum of all human wisdom in bite sized cartoon form.
- tiziano88 9y agoLego Architecture: The Visual Guide https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lego-Architecture-Visual-Philip-Wilkinson/dp/1465422862 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lego-Architecture-Visual-Philip-Wil...
- dcw303 9y agoPrincipia Disordia. But you didn't read that, and this fnord does not exist.
- Apocryphon 9y agoArt of Atari https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1524101036/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1524101036/
- Eridrus 9y agoNot computer related, but I really enjoyed flipping through The New Age of Ceramics, 2016 https://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Ceramics-Hannah-Stouffer/dp/1584236248 https://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Ceramics-Hannah-Stouffer/dp/1...
- minouye 9y agoCool Tools by Kevin Kelly - a must own if you're interested in making things. https://www.amazon.com/Cool-Tools-Possibilities-Kevin-Kelly/dp/1940689007 https://www.amazon.com/Cool-Tools-Possibilities-Kevin-Kelly/...
- jimmywanger 9y agoOff topic, but you should get this if you see it for cheap. https://www.amazon.com/City-Darkness-Life-Kowloon-Walled/dp/1873200137/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506300012&sr=8-2&keywords=city+of+darkness https://www.amazon.com/City-Darkness-Life-Kowloon-Walled/dp/... It's amazing.
- ranit 9y agoAtlas Obscura https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Obscura-Explorers-Worlds-Wonders/dp/0761169083/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1506305278&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Obscura-Explorers-Worlds-Wonder...
- senorsmile 9y agoI just picked up "Reading the Past: Ancient Writing from Cuneiform to the Alphabet". It's actually a combination of 6 smaller "books" that goes over: - Cuneiform - Egyptian Hieroglyhps - Linear B - The Early Alphabet - Green Inscriptions - Etruscan Much of what's in the book are things I've already learned. However, it makes for a great summary for people that are over and have questions.
- synicalx 9y agoI like to leave copies of Mein Kampf lying next to copies of Das Kapital, just to keep my guests alert and on their toes. Also I've found it tends to lead to a general decrease in the amount of time it takes for someone to be labelled as Hitler during discussions.
- api 9y agoHad a friend who put Ayn Rand next to Marx because he said the repulsion helped hold up his books on the shelf.
- SamReidHughes 9y agoWatchmaking by George Daniels
- knbknb 9y agoBooks by/about landscape-photographer Edward Burtynsky https://www.google.com/search?name=f&hl=en&q=burtynsky+book https://www.google.com/search?name=f&hl=en&q=burtynsky+book Photos of landscapes overused by humanity, e.g. quarries, dried-up land, oil fields, etc
- probinso 9y agoThe Math Book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6393242-the-math-book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6393242-the-math-book
- tomdre 9y agoI really liked "Visual Complexity" by Manuel Lima: https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Complexity-Mapping-Patterns-Information/dp/1616892196/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1616892196&pd_rd_r=V2X13HZE7YG7QJGVMY5K&pd_rd_w=ACtn1&pd_rd_wg=6wx4U&psc=1&refRID=V2X13HZE7YG7QJGVMY5K https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Complexity-Mapping-Patterns-In...
- fasdfdsafas 9y agoI would like a coffee table book about coffee tables that turns into a coffee table.