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Shayanne Gal/Business Insider
Unlike the dog-eared, beaten-down tomes inhabiting the bookshelves of a home, coffee table books are a more refined species.
They have license over the prime tabletop real estate, and are typically used as both an accent piece, a personal thesis statement, and entertainment for guests patiently waiting for their host to emerge from some other room.
Coffee table books have the visibility, exclusivity, and the freedom - no, the encouragement - to be mostly full of beautiful, mesmerizing photos. Below are 19 of the very best ones. Bring them as host or hostess gifts, give them as presents for friends who will love the sentimentality of a keepsake ode to a hobby, or pick one up for your own happy perusal.
Below are 19 of the best coffee table books to give as gifts.
Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here.
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