Coffee-table books of 2023 | A gifting guide

Explore the best coffee-table books of 2023, from a stunning volume on the saree to a delightfully-produced tome on love — 11 of the year’s best-designed books that offer many moments of reflection

The best coffee-table books are for the long haul. They double up as art, collectibles, and of course, make for great conversation starters. We’ve seen some wonderfully marketed books this year, on subjects ranging from Barbie’s fashion choices (Barbie Takes the Catwalk; Karan Feder) to film producer-cum-interor designer Gauri Khan’s exploration of her artistic journey and process (My Life in Design). There have been quiet winners, like the one on neurodivergent artists (Art Is Art; ed. Ann Kappes), and crowd pleasers, exploring South Korean pop (Beyond the Story; Myeongseok Kang and BTS). Here is a tidy selection of some of the year’s best visual books, to suit different tastes.

Penguin Studio

The art and the artist come together in Ahlawat Gunjan’s book that speaks of pauses and reflection, of the transformation that art and the natural world can bring, and the ways in which we can find the creative source within us. Ahlawat, creative director at Penguin Random House India, has been creating covers and art for some of the biggest titles there, and in this book, shares insights into his own process as an artist, along with tips on engaging with art. The strokes and colours that accompany the words in this book are vibrant and give an impression of free, unfettered creativity. This is a book to learn from as well as enjoy, and would make for the perfect gift for anyone looking to explore their creative self.

HarperCollins

How does the artist live? How do they observe the world? What do they see? With words and drawings, novelist and academic Amitava Kumar offers up a treatise on the understanding of time and pain, the importance of keeping record, and above everything, creativity and its joys. The art — a collection of etchings, paintings and impressions — invites you to think about it, to take from it what you will, and to assign some meaning that might be entirely your own.

Aleph

In the first line of the book, author and art historian B.N. Goswamy makes a confession about not being a cat lover. And then goes on to put together what can only be described as an ode in praise of our feline friend. This is a book that delights in the cat — in its origin and mythology, and its very welcome, and sometimes mischievous, appearance in Indian history and literature, poems and art, religion and mythology.