Unwrap the art of gifting and collecting
Coffee-table books make exceptional gifts and collectibles. More than just books, they are gateways to other worlds, encapsulating the essence of art, culture, photography, literature page after page on a wide range of topics and interests. Beyond their gifting charm, they are also prized collectibles. Start or expand your collection with these rare and captivating editions.
Within the pages of this extraordinary book lie hundreds of previously unpublished treasures from Bob Dylan's personal archive. Among these treasures are manuscripts, lyrics, notebooks, paintings, photographs, letters, albums and artifacts that provide a rare glimpse into the life and artistry of the legend himself.
4 of our favorite books to gift or collect
Emily Dickinson's poetry meets American painting. The book is in French and English.
Rare books from unique publishers
Gift guide tailored by topics
Unique publishers selling on AbeBooks
For 40 years, Callaway has excelled in publishing captivating illustrated books, spanning art, design, fashion, biography and children’s books.
Suntup crafts limited edition books with artful typography, letterpress, commissioned art and premium materials for an artisanal experience.
Founded in 1922 in the Netherlands, Lecturis specializes in books about art, design, photography and cultural history with an outstanding quality.
Diane de Selliers annually publishes literary texts on art history, merging literature and painting into unique creations since 1992.
Discover second-hand coffee table books
More collecting guides
Explore a vast library of collecting guides covering topics from valuable cookbooks and rare bibles, to vintage magazines and ephemera.
A book’s format refers to the shape and dimensions of the physical book. Learn more in our guide to book collecting.
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Vintage magazines appeal to people who have a particular interest in old paper, to be sure, but they are also collected for the specific content on and between their covers.
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A pre-first edition is any limited run copy of a book printed before the first standard edition is published. These include advance(d) reader copies (ARCs), galleys, salesman’s editions, proofs and sometimes manuscripts. The importance of these editions varies from collector to collector - some enjoy seeing the evolution of a book from concept to publication while others are only interested in collecting the editions meant for public release.
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Since the first goal of book collecting should be to collect books that you are interested in it shouldn't be much of a surprise that collections will often be built around a specific kind of fiction or non-fiction topic. Even if you do not consider yourself a "book collector" you can probably take a look at your bookshelves and find the beginnings of this kind of collection simply based on your reading tastes.
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One popular theme for collections is books by your favorite author. This could be as simple as finding a single copy of every title published by your beloved writer, or the more specific goal of finding each first edition.
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There are two main points to consider when looking at an illustration. Who created the illustration, and what artistic method did they use to create it?
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