The Coffee-Table Book in the Post-War Anglophone World

The Coffee-Table Book in the Post-War Anglophone World argues that coffee-table books appeared and became popular in the post-war era at the convergence of three important developments: advances in full colour printing technology, social change, and publishing entrepreneurism and innovation. Examining the coffee-table book through a book history lens acknowledges their significant contribution to post-war visual culture and illustrated publishing. Focussing on post-war America, Great Britain, and Australia during the “golden age” era of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, this history of the coffee-table book takes an interdisciplinary approach to put the coffee-table book in context in regards to materiality, format, printing, status, and genre.

Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 Coffee-table Books: Seriously?.- Chapter 3 What’s in a Name?.- Chapter 4 A New Book-buying Market.- Chapter 5 More Than Meets the Eye.- Chapter 6 David Brower: An American Environmental Publisher.- Chapter 7 Paul Hamlyn: Britain’s Publishing Mould Breaker.- Chapter 8 Lloyd O’Neil: Australia in Colour.- Chapter 9 Conclusion.

Christine Elliott is an independent scholar who has spent time managing and coordinating projects with disadvantaged young people within various public and private sector social justice programs. In 2008, she co-authored a coffee-table book Custom Bicycles: A Passionate Pursuit, which was published to a worldwide market. This led her to undertake a PhD at Monash University, Australia, which was awarded in 2018.