Best Coffee Table Books for an Architecture Lover

If you’re looking to purchase the best gift for a friend or family member who loves architecture, then buying him or her a new coffee table book can be the perfect gift. Aside from being quite popular and fairly easy to find, architecture coffee table books are something everyone can enjoy and they also make a great conversation piece.

Style of Architecture

First, you should determine which type of architecture your friend or family member enjoys most. This can be a specific style, time period or location. For instance, if your friend enjoys castle architecture, why not purchase him or her Castles of Britain and Ireland: The Ultimate Reference Book: A Region-By-Region Guide to Over 1,350 Castles? This collaboration by author Plantagenet Somerset Fry and photographer David Lyons is quite comprehensive and visually stunning to flip through. Or, how about the hardcover coffee table book Twin Towers Remembered. This heartfelt architecture book chronicles the incredible photographs captured by Camilo Jos Vergara dating back to 1970, when the World Trade Center towers were still being built.

Architectural Evolution

Next, consider buying your architecture loving friend the intriguing coffee table book, “Chicago Then and Now.” This book highlights the evolution of Chicago architecture over the last one hundred years. On each page, you can compare different pictures of Chicago from then and now. For instance, you’ll find one modern color photograph sitting right next to a black and white photo of the same area roughly one hundred years prior. Or, consider buying the coffee table book “Lost Boston”, which examines the history of Boston through the lens of its architecture.

Feel free to visit your local bookstore and ask a sales associate to point you in the direction of the nearest coffee table books. You should have no trouble finding an architecture based book that is perfect for your friend or family member.