Ever since I saw the episode of Seinfeld with Kramer’s idea for a coffee table book on coffee tables, I’ve made it a point to take a quick scan and see what books people choose to display on their living room table. Kramer’s idea is half absurd and half genius in my opinion, and it also reveals a lot about him, which I think is true for most people’s coffee table book selection. Maybe it accurately reflects your personality; for some, it might be more of an aspirational thing.

So, I went on a hunt for coffee table books ranging from the wacky and somewhat useless to the lovely. Some I’d like to add to my collection; some were just too strange not to include.

Photo Courtesy of Black Dog Publishing

Someone actually took Kramer’s idea to heart, minus the pop-up legs. The laughs only last a few seconds though, then interior decorators are about the only ones who find this interesting.

Photo Courtesy of Penguin Books

Find out what a caper really is and why some electrical plugs have a third prong. A book you and your guests can learn from whether you choose to admit ignorance or feign intelligence.

Photo Courtesy of Chronicle Books

Take time to notice the mundane and often overlooked details. Once you flip through this quirky collection of faces you’ll start to see noses and eyes everywhere.

Photo Courtesy of Chronicle Books

This is one of the random, albeit incredibly popular, coffee books I stumbled upon. If wet cats don’t make you laugh, they will at least make you thankful you’re not one of them.

Photo Courtesy of Touchstone

Sift through discarded items from around the world, and read a stranger’s Valentine’s Day card guilt-free. This is the book for nosy, I mean curious souls.

Photo Courtesy of Random House

See Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodor Geisel, in a whole new way with this collection of never-before-seen paintings. This book might not be filled with rhymes, but expect to see his usual colorful creatures from another world

Photo Courtesy of Villard

If you could remove one insect from the world, what would you choose? Spice up your dinner party discussions with a few questions ranging from the sensible to the completely ridiculous.

Photo Courtesy of Focal Point

If you want to pretend you’re somewhere other than your living room, flip through page after page of gorgeous photos from National Geographic’s famous Image Collection. Images are accompanied by words of wisdom from poets and scholars.

What book is resting on your coffee table? Any you’d recommend or warn against?

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