Book a Table: The Nerdist News Guide To Coffee Table Books

The top tomes to flaunt your nerd-cred.

By: Brian Walton

True collectors know that to own is novel, but to display is amazing. But what about those fans that just don’t have the time, money or square footage to give way to their impulses? We have an easy solution that fits right on your coffee table. No longer a staple of just the dentist’s waiting room, art books make the perfect small addition to your home to let inquiring minds know what you’re really about. Here are some top picks for your specific obsession.

Games – Piles of gaming magazines are just a reminder you didn’t really need that Gamestop rewards card. Show your love of video games in a more tidy way. We recommend The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The book lets you experience the immersive world of SWTOR without losing hours of your life, or your father to the dark side. Backup: Art of the Mass Effect Universe.

Comics – You could put your Absolute Watchmen (which ought to be the name of a glowing blue vodka, but isn’t) on the table, but that could easily devolve into a debate more appropriate for the Tournament of Nerds. The safer route to show your fandom is a book from an artist everyone can agree is amazing: Adam Hughes. Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes shows you have good taste and an appreciation of female characters. Strictly for their minds, of course. Backup: The Dynamite Art of Alex Ross.

Cosplay – Do you love cosplay but hate having to constantly wear your Wonder Woman tiara to prove it? Cosplay in America is a visual love letter to the craft of costuming. Ejen Chang’s beautiful photos capture the spirit of the community like the 501st capture the perfect Stormtrooper likenesses. Backup: Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope.

Movies – Not enough room on the walls to display your refined taste in movies?  The Art of Modern Movie Posters: International Postwar Style and Design is sure to get more than a few of your guests talking about their favorite films. The book also serves as history lesson, but not the boring kind, on the progression of movie marketing and visualization. Backup: 80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards.

Science – If you feel your pop culture obsessions are covered and want to show you have brain power as well as an appreciation for beauty, let Hubble: Imaging Space and Time be the centerpiece of your inner space. Backup: Sizing Up The Universe.

Mimes – Do you just want to throw your friends for a loop and let them wonder what’s really going on in that head of yours? We recommend Doug Jones’ Mime Very Own Book. Full of puns and visual representations of those jokes, it’ll challenge assumptions about the wackily whitefaced, and make you think outside the invisible box.

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