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The best kinds of gifts are the things your loved one didn’t know they wanted. Enter coffee table books, those beautiful tomes that have the power to transport you to another place, expose you to new ways of thinking, and provide a history lesson on a very specific time or event. To compile this gift guide, we took that energy and ran with it. Skip the candles, baked goods, and socks (though, everyone loves the latter) and go all in on a beautiful coffee table book full of queer art or history. The books below touch on all corners of the creative world, from drag to interior design, proving queer people have been impacting art scenes for generations. There’s a book dedicated to vintage photographs of queer couples spanning six decades, sourced from garage sales; another gives a peek into the mind of revolutionary photographer Ren Hang. Although each coffee table book on this list is different in subject and presentation, each carries the same spirit, applauding queer communities past, present, and future.
In this colorful and intimate collection, Canadian writer and photographer Laurence Philoméne documents the daily realities and emotional textures of their own transition. With humor, sweetness, and rigorous composition, Philomene invites the reader into their most private spaces while introducing us to their community and evolving life. The earliest photographs in this tome were taken in January 2019, made possible with a simple tripod in the writer's home. Philomene’s paean to “second puberty,” as many trans people call it, goes on to share snapshots and reflections from the years that ensued, covering the silence of lockdown and the artist’s gradual reentry into the world.
Holding Space: Life and Love Through a Queer Lens
Comprised of more than 100 photographs, this book from photographer Ryan Pfluger (Rolling Stone, New York Times Magazine, and more) showcases queer, interracial love in all of its beauty. The common thread holding each of these images together is the deep connection you can feel between the subjects, whether they are making direct eye contact or they are interlaced with each other, eyes closed. As a reader, you feel like an observer in their physical space, somehow a part of the picture without being involved whatsoever. These photos — taken throughout 2020 and 2021 — are accompanied by short stories about the relationships they capture. It’s an honest look at modern love that doubles as an anthology of a turbulent time of unrest in the world, showing couples navigating the pandemic, loss, trauma, self-realization, and much more.
A Very Gay Book: An Inaccurate Resource for Gay Scholars
Penned by Very Gay Paint founders and muralists Jenson Titus and Nic Scheppard, A Very Gay Book is a lighthearted look at what the world would look like if every single thing were gay. We’re talking trees, sports, soup, magnets, and everything in between. Oh, and people. It’s a fun read to put out on display, especially at a party where it can serve as a perfect, slightly hilarious conversation break. And the book itself is gorgeous; we’d expect no less from a duo that crafts some of the most beautiful murals we’ve ever seen.
Queer Spaces: An Atlas of LGBTQ+ Places and Stories
Designer Adam Nathaniel Furman is known for their colorful spaces, curating rooms that join tropical colors in complete harmony. With their debut book, the interior specialist turns their attention to immortalizing historic queer spaces from around the world. Furman’s thoroughly reported text takes us through physical and virtual spaces such as Coppelia, an ice cream shop in Havana that doubled as a cruising spot where flagging was done with ice cream flavors, and the Trans Memory Archive, a mostly virtual project led by trans archivists placing a spotlight on Argentina’s trans community through exhibitions, a photo book, and a digital platform. Each entry offers a compelling peek into vibrant queer communities around the world and throughout history.
Revolution Is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation
This book is a galvanizing record of Black trans activism in New York City, specifically during the massive uprisings of June 2020. After two members of the trans community were killed within a matter of weeks — Nina Pop, a Black trans woman from Missouri and Tony McDade, a Black trans man in Florida — abolitionists Qween Jean and Joela-Abiona Rivera led weekly demonstrations outside the Stonewall Inn. The organizers continued the actions for over a year in what became known as the Stonewall Protests. As more people joined the crowds, a crew of photographers began to document the demonstrations, culminating in a beautiful look at people coming together to support one another and denounce anti-trans violence.
If you’re looking to gift something to an art enthusiast who knows about every single new release, they’ll be surprised and delighted by the second book from Australian photographer Rob Tennent. A kind of love story, I’m Going to Miss You doesn't necessarily have a plot; but without words, the pages depict a beautiful vibe nonetheless. Think of it more as an extended daydream, something that feels real enough to be your own memory. In these pages, we find images documenting summer days on the beach, alongside memories dotted with beautiful people. Each inclusion is intimate: some are obvious, and others are a more playful take on the theme. The book captures the magical power of sandy afternoons on the queer body, fueled by the sun and shared snacks.
Chinese photographer Ren Hang left an immeasurable impact despite passing away at just 28 years old. The divisive and revolutionary image-maker spent his brief career fighting for creative freedom while reimagining the body as a canvas of shapes and textures removed from the constraints of binary gender. In these almost mystical compositions, the viewer is presented with what can only be a direct flight right into Hang’s mind, an adventure that’s only hinted at from the cover — and that’s what we love about it.
The beauty of photographer Jess T. Dugan’s ode to transgender elders is found in its variety; as its pages show, trans people have lived full and radically distinct lives across this country. Dugan, alongside social worker Vanessa Fabbre, spent years traveling the nation to speak with older trans folks. Those visits resulted in conversations spanning age, race, sexuality, identity, and much more. The result is a mesmerizing and hopeful look at a lived history spanning nearly a century, offering another perspective on activism in the United States.
Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians
A review of this landmark collection from Fun Home cartoonist Alison Bechdel says it best: “The women in these portraits were some of the first dykes I ever laid eyes on, and the book feels like a lost family album.” First published in 1979, Eye to Eye is a groundbreaking work that captures the lesbian community during many different eras. Accompanying the photographs are stories from those photographed and words from towering authors such as Audre Lorde and Joan Nestle.
Legendary: Inside the House Ballroom Scene
From the outfits to the personalities to the energy, the ballroom scene was and continues to be a thrilling beacon of queer joy. This series of black-and-white photographs from Gerard Gaskin displays these underground events with bountiful pride, offering an inside peek at balls from New York City, to Richmond, to Philadelphia, to Washington, D.C., and more. The images are captivating, infused with the intimacy that can only arise from Gaskin's personal connection to his subjects; the photographer had been a regular at balls for more than 20 years.
The Invisibles: Vintage Portraits of Love and Pride
So far, this list has provided a hearty look at modern queer love, though this particular book celebrates queer couples past, presented without names and displayed in a variety of poses. The vintage images feature couples photographed between 1900 and 1960, and were mined from flea markets and garage sales. With no record of who the subjects were, it’s an anonymous collection of happiness and release. In 2017, the filmmaker Sébastien Lifshitz adapted the book into a documentary of the same name.
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