The best science coffee table book for most readers is DK’s Science: The Definitive Visual Guide, a 520-page survey of the major sciences at 10 x 12 inches. For a single subject, Infinite Cosmos covers space, Theodore Gray’s Elements covers chemistry and Levon Biss’s Microsculpture covers the world of insects at high magnification. This guide lists 30 hardcover science books made to be opened and looked at, grouped by subject, with the page count, trim size, weight, ISBN, publisher list price and edition for each. Specs were checked on October 10, 2026. The books are for adults and teenagers; children’s picture books are not included.
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At a glance: the best science coffee table books by use
- Best for spaceInfinite CosmosAnyone who wants the James Webb Space Telescope images at full sizeFind on Amazon
- Best overallScienceA single book that covers every branch of scienceFind on Amazon
- Best for teensThing ExplainerTeenagers and anyone who learns from diagramsFind on Amazon
- Best for chemistryElementsThe periodic table as a photo bookFind on Amazon
- Best for non-scientistsMicrosculptureA striking first book of microscopy photographyFind on Amazon
- Best splurgeThe Art and Science of Ernst HaeckelEvolution and scientific-illustration fans who want a showpieceFind on Amazon
- Best under $30Math ArtReaders who want art first and equations secondFind on Amazon
What counts as a science coffee table book
Every book here is a hardcover with images on most pages, at least 8 inches on its short side, about a science or the history of science. Textbooks, reading-only popular science and children’s picture books are out. Prices are publisher list prices: the Amazon price moves from day to day and is often lower. Some links on this page are affiliate links; how affiliate links work is explained on our disclosure page.
The best science coffee table books by subject
- Space and astronomy
- All of science
- Chemistry and physics
- Life, microscopy and the brain
- Anatomy
- Earth, ocean and nature
- Dinosaurs
- Mathematics
Best space and astronomy science books
Six books cover space, in three formats. Infinite Cosmos holds the newest images, from the James Webb Space Telescope. Expanding Universe, Earth and Space and The Planets are photo books of Hubble and NASA images at $40 to $42.50. DK’s Universe is the reference book, and the only one with a sky atlas. The NASA Archives XL is the splurge: 33 cm square and about 12 lb. Little Astronomy keeps a longer list in its guide to the best space coffee table books.
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Best for spaceIn print
Infinite Cosmos Visions From the James Webb Space Telescope
- Pages
- 224 pages
- Size
- 9.45 x 12.15 in
- Weight
- 3.4 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $50.00
Best for: Anyone who wants the James Webb Space Telescope images at full size
Ethan Siegel traces the 20 years it took to build, launch and unfold the telescope, then presents more than 100 images of nebulae, galaxies, exoplanets and the outer planets, each explained. Brian Greene writes the introduction.
Why it made the list: It is the only Webb book here, and its images are newer than anything in the Hubble and NASA volumes.
Worth knowing: The subject is one telescope. For a survey of the whole sky, DK's Universe covers more ground.
Edition note: One hardcover edition. The weight comes from Bookshop.org; Amazon's 2.31 lb is a placeholder.
In print
Universe The Definitive Visual Guide
- Pages
- 528 pages
- Size
- 10.2 x 12.2 in
- Weight
- 5.19 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $50.00
Best for: One reference for all of astronomy, with a sky atlas
Opens with the history of astronomy, tours the Solar System, the Milky Way and other galaxies, and ends with an atlas of the 88 constellations and monthly sky charts for both hemispheres.
Why it made the list: No other book here pairs a full survey of the cosmos with star charts you can use outdoors.
Worth knowing: The layout is encyclopedic and dense, with less full-page photography than the Webb and NASA books.
Edition note: Third edition, US printing (ISBN 9781465499950). The UK hardback is 9780241412749. DK's 2019 paperback (9781465488725) is a different, older book.
In print
Expanding Universe The Hubble Space Telescope
- Pages
- 260 pages
- Size
- 11.42 x 11.42 in
- Weight
- 5.47 lb (2.48 kg)
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $40.00
Best for: A large square photo book of Hubble images
Hubble photographs at 29 cm square with fold-out panoramas, an essay by the photography critic Owen Edwards and an interview with image processor Zoltan Levay on how the pictures are composed. Text runs in English, French and German.
Why it made the list: Fold-out panoramas at this size make it the best Hubble book for display, and it costs less than any other Taschen title here.
Worth knowing: At 5.5 lb and 260 pages it is heavy to hold open on a lap.
Edition note: This is the 2020 edition, which adds 30 new images (ISBN 9783836583633). The 2015 edition (9783836549226) has almost the same title and is out of date.
In print
Earth and Space Photographs from the Archives of NASA
- Pages
- 176 pages
- Size
- 9.95 x 11.4 in
- Weight
- 2.68 lb (1,214 g)
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $40.00
Best for: NASA images of Earth, the planets and deep space with short captions
More than 100 NASA photographs, from Apollo-era views of Earth to the outer Solar System and deep space, each with a caption that explains what the image shows. Bill Nye writes the preface.
Why it made the list: Earth from orbit sits beside deep space in one book, at a lower price than any other NASA title in this guide.
Worth knowing: At 176 pages and about 10 x 11 in it is a smaller book than Taschen's NASA Archives XL. Publisher and retailer listings disagree on the exact trim.
In print
The Planets Photographs from the Archives of NASA
- Pages
- 256 pages
- Size
- 9.38 x 9.38 in
- Weight
- 2.89 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $42.50
Best for: A square-format photo tour of the planets, moons and comets
More than 200 NASA photographs from about 40 years of missions, arranged planet by planet, with long captions on the science behind each image.
Why it made the list: It is the planet-by-planet companion to Earth and Space, with longer captions.
Worth knowing: The 9.4 in square trim is smaller than a true display book, and it overlaps with Earth and Space.
In print
The NASA Archives 60 Years in Space (Extra Large)
- Pages
- 468 pages
- Size
- 12.99 x 12.99 in
- Weight
- 12 lb
- Price range
- $80 and up
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $150.00
Best for: A display piece: 400 NASA photographs at extra-large size
More than 400 historic photographs and rare concept renderings from the first 60 years of NASA, scanned, remastered and printed at 33 cm square. Piers Bizony, Roger Launius and Andrew Chaikin write the text.
Why it made the list: It is the largest book in this guide and the widest survey of NASA imagery.
Worth knowing: At about 12 lb it stays on the table; this is not a book to read in your lap.
Edition note: This is the XL edition (ISBN 9783836569507, 33 x 33 cm, $150 list). Taschen's compact 45th Edition (9783836588089) is a 6 x 8.5 in book at about $30 and a different object.
Best science coffee table books that cover everything
DK’s Science covers physics, chemistry, biology, geology and mathematics in one volume, which makes it the safest gift when a reader likes science in general and no single branch. Thing Explainer takes the opposite approach: 64 pages of diagrams in which every label uses one of the 1,000 most common English words.
Best overallIn print
Science The Definitive Visual Guide
- Pages
- 520 pages
- Size
- 10.13 x 12.13 in
- Weight
- 5.89 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $50.00
Best for: A single book that covers every branch of science
An illustrated history of science from Greek geometry to quantum physics and genetic engineering, with astronomy, biology, geology and mathematics, biographies of key scientists and diagrams that show how each principle works. This edition adds the detection of gravitational waves.
Why it made the list: It spans more sciences than any other book here, at full encyclopedia size: 520 pages at 10 x 12 in.
Worth knowing: The layout is reference-style with small text, and it is not photo-led. At about 5.9 lb it is heavy.
Edition note: The 2021 printing in DK's Definitive Visual Encyclopedias series (ISBN 9780744045611). An older 2016 printing (9781465454201) is also on sale.
Best for teensIn print
Thing Explainer Complicated Stuff in Simple Words
- Pages
- 64 pages
- Size
- 9 x 13 in
- Weight
- 1.8 lb
- Price range
- Under $40
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $26.99
Best for: Teenagers and anyone who learns from diagrams
Randall Munroe draws machines and systems (microwaves, bridges, data centers, the International Space Station, tectonic plates, the periodic table, helicopters, cells) and labels every part using only the 1,000 most common English words.
Why it made the list: It is the only oversize diagram book here, and it suits teenagers and first-time science readers.
Worth knowing: It runs only 64 pages. The vocabulary limit produces odd terms, and the drawings are line art, not photographs.
Edition note: US hardcover (ISBN 9780544668256). Amazon lists Dey Street Books as the publisher; the 2015 first printing came from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The UK edition is 9781473637313.
Best chemistry and physics coffee table books
Theodore Gray’s Elements, Molecules and Reactions form a three-book set. Elements and Molecules are below; Reactions (2017) completes the set. The Beauty of Chemistry shows reactions in motion, and Physics is a timeline of the field with a fold-out poster. To explore an element before you buy a book on it, try our Atom 3D Model, and use the Molar Mass Calculator for the compounds in Molecules.
Best for chemistryIn print
Elements A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe, Book 1 of 3
- Pages
- 240 pages
- Size
- 10.25 x 10.25 in
- Weight
- 3.04 lb
- Price range
- Under $40
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $35.00
Best for: The periodic table as a photo book
One large photograph of each of the 118 elements in its purest form, plus further photographs of altered forms and uses, arranged by atomic number. A poster of Theodore Gray's photographic periodic table comes with it.
Why it made the list: It is the chemistry coffee table book readers search for by name, and the first of a three-book set with Molecules and Reactions.
Worth knowing: Published in 2009 with no revised edition, and the text for each element is short.
Edition note: Buy the hardcover, ISBN 9781579128142. A paperback (9781579128951) and a boxed set also exist. The Amazon title carries a stray 'RP Minis' tag, but the size, 10.25 in square, is the full book.
In print
Molecules The Elements and the Architecture of Everything, Book 2 of 3
- Pages
- 240 pages
- Size
- 10.3 x 10.45 in
- Weight
- 3.01 lb
- Price range
- Under $40
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $29.99
Best for: Readers who want to see how atoms combine into everyday materials
Photographs and bond diagrams of molecules grouped by use: soaps and solvents, oils, rocks and ores, fibers, medicines, sweeteners, perfumes and pigments. The opening chapter explains how atoms bond.
Why it made the list: It is the second volume of Gray's trilogy, and it works alone as a gift for anyone curious what ordinary things are made of.
Worth knowing: It is organized by type of material, so it does not work as a lookup for one specific molecule.
Edition note: Hardcover, ISBN 9781579129712. A paperback (9780316480581) also exists.
In print
The Beauty of Chemistry Art, Wonder, and Science
- Pages
- 392 pages
- Size
- 8.39 x 9.37 in
- Weight
- 2.89 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $49.95
Best for: Chemistry students and teachers who want chemistry as photography
354 color photographs of chemical processes (snowflakes, champagne, chemical gardens, evaporation, distillation, precipitation, flower colors) shot with microphotography, time-lapse and infrared thermal imaging. Philip Ball writes the text, and the images come from the exhibition Envisioning Chemistry by Wenting Zhu and Yan Liang.
Why it made the list: Gray's books show matter. This one shows chemistry happening.
Worth knowing: At about 8 x 9 in it is smaller than most books here.
Edition note: Hardcover, 392 pages (ISBN 9780262044417). Some retailer pages give 256 to 540 pages; the MIT Press page says 392.
In print
Physics An Illustrated History of the Foundations of Science (100 Ponderables), Revised and Updated
- Pages
- 144 pages
- Size
- 9.25 x 11.2 in
- Weight
- 2 lb
- Price range
- Under $40
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $24.95
Best for: A visual timeline of physics from antiquity to the Standard Model
One hundred short articles in chronological order with images, diagrams and physicist biographies, plus a Standard Model particle chart and a 12-page fold-out timeline poster.
Why it made the list: It is the only physics title here, and the fold-out timeline gives it a display use.
Worth knowing: Text and diagrams share pages, so it is less photographic than the space books.
Edition note: Revised and updated edition (2024, ISBN 9781627951975). Earlier printings are 9781627950961 and 9781627951531.
Best biology, microscopy and brain books
Microsculpture and Nanocosmos show what a camera and an electron microscope see. The Beautiful Brain and the Haeckel volume are historical illustration: Ramon y Cajal’s hand drawings of neurons and Haeckel’s prints of living forms. Plankton and Innumerable Insects cover living things in the water and on land. For cells and DNA on screen, see our Cell 3D Model and DNA 3D Model.
Best for non-scientistsIn print
Microsculpture The Mind-Blowing Microscopic World of Bugs, Beetles, and Moths in Stunning Detail
- Pages
- 144 pages
- Size
- 12.52 x 10.12 in
- Weight
- 2.91 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $50.00
Best for: A striking first book of microscopy photography
144 photographs of insects at high magnification. Each image is stacked from about 8,000 separate exposures and takes about four weeks to make. Dr. James Hogan of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History writes the foreword.
Why it made the list: Full-page insect portraits at this scale need no explanation, which is why the book works for readers who are not scientists.
Worth knowing: Insects only, with little running text.
Edition note: Hardcover, ISBN 9781419726958. Abrams also publishes Extinct & Endangered (2022) by the same photographer.
In print
Nanocosmos Journeys in Electron Space
- Pages
- 320 pages
- Size
- 11.5 x 11.5 in
- Weight
- 5.84 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $65.00
Best for: Electron-microscope images of the very small
Composite scanning electron micrographs made by Michael Benson over six years at the Canadian Museum of Nature: radiolarians, dinoflagellates, diatoms, insects, microscopic flowers and Apollo lunar samples. 320 pages and 300 color images at 11.5 in square.
Why it made the list: It is the only electron-microscopy book here, and the newest, from October 2025.
Worth knowing: At $65 it costs more than most books here, and as a new release it has few reader reviews.
In print
The Beautiful Brain The Drawings of Santiago Ramon y Cajal
- Pages
- 208 pages
- Size
- 10.2 x 11.3 in
- Weight
- 2.89 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $50.00
Best for: Neuroscience students and readers who like historical scientific drawing
About 90 of Santiago Ramon y Cajal's drawings of neurons, brain regions and circuits, with essays on his work, his training as an artist and modern brain imaging. It accompanies the traveling exhibition of the drawings.
Why it made the list: It is the only book here about the history of neuroscience illustration, and it shows the drawings at about 10 x 11 in.
Worth knowing: Essays by several authors fill much of the 208 pages, and the book is a selection of the drawings, not a full catalog.
In print
Plankton Wonders of the Drifting World
- Pages
- 224 pages
- Size
- 9.75 x 12.5 in
- Weight
- 3.5 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $56.00
Best for: Ocean and marine biology readers
550 color plates of living plankton (jellyfish, larvaceans and other drifting animals and microbes) shot against black backgrounds and grouped by type, with text on the role plankton play in ocean life.
Why it made the list: No other book here shows living marine microbes at this scale, 9.75 x 12.5 in.
Worth knowing: Published in 2015. Older web pages show a $45 price; the publisher lists $56.
In print
Innumerable Insects The Story of the Most Diverse and Myriad Animals on Earth
- Pages
- 232 pages
- Size
- 9.3 x 10 in
- Weight
- 2.64 lb
- Price range
- Under $40
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $35.00
Best for: An entomologist's history of insects, at a lower price
More than 180 illustrations from the American Museum of Natural History's Rare Book Collection, with text on insect evolution, metamorphosis, pests and parasites, camouflage and pollination.
Why it made the list: A working entomologist, Michael S. Engel, wrote the text, and the plates come from a museum library.
Worth knowing: The illustrations are historical plates, not modern photography, and the 9.3 x 10 in trim is on the small side.
Best splurgeIn print
The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel
- Pages
- 688 pages
- Size
- 9.57 x 11.97 in
- Weight
- 5.78 lb
- Price range
- $80 and up
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $125.00
Best for: Evolution and scientific-illustration fans who want a showpiece
More than 450 prints from the work of the German biologist Ernst Haeckel, with texts on his science, his art and his role in promoting Darwin's theory of evolution. The text runs in English, French and German.
Why it made the list: It is the fullest Haeckel collection that fits on a coffee table, and this slipcased printing costs less than the XXL edition.
Worth knowing: At $125 it is the second most expensive book here. Several Haeckel books exist, so match the ISBN.
Edition note: This is the 688-page slipcased Classics edition (ISBN 9783754406106, 24.3 x 30.4 cm). Taschen also sells a compact 45th Edition (9783836584289, about $30) and a 704-page XXL edition (9783836526463, about $200 on Amazon).
Best anatomy coffee table books
Both anatomy books treat the body as art rather than as a study aid. Phaidon’s Anatomy surveys 5,000 years of body imagery in 344 pages. Bourgery reproduces one 19th-century atlas at 722 pages and 9.3 lb, and is the heaviest book in this guide after The NASA Archives XL.
In print
Anatomy Exploring the Human Body
- Pages
- 344 pages
- Size
- 10.35 x 11.8 in
- Weight
- 5.35 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $59.95
Best for: Anyone who likes anatomy as art history
300 works from more than 5,000 years of anatomical image-making, chosen by a panel of anatomists, curators and academics and arranged from head to toe and by body system, with contrasting illustrations paired on each page.
Why it made the list: It treats the body as a subject of art instead of repeating textbook diagrams.
Worth knowing: Entries are short, and some images show dissected bodies. It is not a study atlas.
In print
Bourgery. Atlas of Human Anatomy and Surgery XL edition
- Pages
- 722 pages
- Size
- 9.84 x 13.7 in
- Weight
- 9.28 lb (4.21 kg)
- Price range
- $80 and up
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $100.00
Best for: A statement piece for a study, clinic or library
A large clothbound reproduction of Bourgery and Jacob's 19th-century atlas, covering descriptive, surgical, microscopic and general anatomy and embryology, with fold-outs. Jean-Baptiste Bourgery began the work in 1830 with the illustrator Nicolas Henri Jacob, and it took nearly two decades.
Why it made the list: It is the largest anatomy book here, at 25 x 34.8 cm and 722 pages.
Worth knowing: At 9.3 lb and 13.7 in tall it needs a sturdy table. The plates include dissections.
Edition note: This is the XL edition (ISBN 9783836568982). Taschen's pocket-size Bibliotheca Universalis edition (9783836556620, about $23) sells in larger numbers but is a 7.7 x 5.5 in book.
Best earth science, ocean and nature books
Three DK encyclopedias (Earth, Ocean and Natural History) are the reference choices, at 512 to 664 pages each. Aerial Geology and The Photo Ark are the photography choices: one for landscapes and one for animals.
In print
Earth The Definitive Visual Guide, New Edition
- Pages
- 528 pages
- Size
- 9.65 x 11.37 in
- Weight
- 5.25 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $55.00
Best for: Geology, weather and climate in one volume
More than 3,000 photographs, artworks and maps, a 40-page timeline of Earth's history, an atlas built around the seven major tectonic plates and guides to more than 100 rocks and minerals.
Why it made the list: It covers geology, plate tectonics, weather, climate and landscapes in a single volume.
Worth knowing: Encyclopedic rather than photo-led, and heavy at about 5 lb.
Edition note: Third edition, US printing (ISBN 9780744069839). The UK edition is 9780241515617.
In print
Ocean, New Edition DK Definitive Visual Encyclopedias
- Pages
- 512 pages
- Size
- 10.24 x 12.13 in
- Weight
- 5.79 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $50.00
Best for: How the ocean works and what lives in it
Seafloor geology, seawater chemistry, directories of ocean environments and species, a 60-page atlas drawn from satellite measurements of the seafloor, and spreads on plastic pollution and acidification.
Why it made the list: It covers ocean physics and seafloor geology as well as animals, which the wildlife-only books skip.
Worth knowing: The marine-life sections overlap with DK's Natural History, and at 5.8 lb it is heavy.
Edition note: Third edition, US printing (ISBN 9780744051704), sold as Ocean, New Edition. The previous edition was titled Ocean: The Definitive Visual Guide (2014).
In print
Aerial Geology A High-Altitude Tour of North America's Spectacular Volcanoes, Canyons, Glaciers, Lakes, Craters, and Peaks
- Pages
- 308 pages
- Size
- 9.75 x 11 in
- Weight
- 3.26 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $40.00
Best for: Landscape and geology fans who like aerial photography
A tour of 100 geological formations across North America, from the Aleutian Islands to the Great Salt Lake, with aerial and satellite photographs, an explanation of how each formed, and maps and diagrams.
Why it made the list: It is the only geology book here built on aerial and satellite photographs, one formation at a time.
Worth knowing: North America only, and published in 2017.
In print
Natural History
- Pages
- 664 pages
- Size
- 9.56 x 11.31 in
- Weight
- 6.38 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $60.00
Best for: One reference for animals, plants, fungi and rocks
A full-color gallery of more than 5,000 species with a glossary, produced with the Smithsonian Institution. The 2021 edition reorders the groups of living things to follow current classification and adds newly described species.
Why it made the list: At 664 pages it is the largest single-volume survey of living things here.
Worth knowing: Reference layout, and at 6.4 lb it is the heaviest DK book in this guide.
Edition note: Second edition (2021, ISBN 9780744035018). The 2010 edition (9780756667528) is out of date.
In print
National Geographic The Photo Ark One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals
- Pages
- 400 pages
- Size
- 9.61 x 9.69 in
- Weight
- 4.32 lb
- Price range
- Under $40
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $35.00
Best for: Animal lovers and anyone who cares about conservation
Studio portraits of animals, many of them endangered, photographed in zoos and wildlife rescue centers for Joel Sartore's Photo Ark project, which aims to document 12,000 species. Douglas Chadwick writes the text and Harrison Ford the foreword.
Why it made the list: It is the best-known nature photography book with a conservation purpose, at 400 pages for $35.
Worth knowing: Portraits with short text, so the science content is lighter than in the DK books. Species totals date from 2017, and newer Photo Ark titles exist.
Best dinosaur coffee table books for adults
Dinosaur Art is a book of paleoart, and DK’s Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life is the reference. Dinosaur Art dates from 2012 and the DK book from 2019, so neither includes recent finds. To find fossil sites near you, use our Fossils Near You tool.
In print
Dinosaur Art The World's Greatest Paleoart
- Pages
- 188 pages
- Size
- 10.95 x 12 in
- Price range
- Under $40
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $34.95
Best for: Dinosaur fans and artists who want full-page paleoart
Ten leading paleoartists show a selection of their work and describe how they reconstruct extinct animals, with artwork and paleontology current to 2012.
Why it made the list: It focuses on the artists who reconstruct the animals, where most dinosaur books are species encyclopedias.
Worth knowing: Published in 2012, so later reconstructions and discoveries are missing. Art comes first and the paleontology text is limited.
Edition note: Hardcover, ISBN 9780857685841. The sequel, Dinosaur Art II (2017), is a separate book.
In print
Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life The Definitive Visual Guide to Prehistoric Animals
- Pages
- 440 pages
- Size
- 10.2 x 12.13 in
- Weight
- 5.58 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $55.00
Best for: Families and fossil fans who want a full reference
More than 500 animals, plants, fungi and microbes, from the first Precambrian microbes through mass extinctions and ice ages, with CGI reconstructions and fossil and skeleton photographs. Produced with the Smithsonian Institution.
Why it made the list: It covers dinosaurs and the wider history of life across geological time in one large reference.
Worth knowing: Dinosaurs are one part of a larger survey, the text is small, and discoveries after 2019 are missing.
Edition note: 2019 hardcover, ISBN 9781465482495. A shorter UK edition (9780241641521) exists.
Best math coffee table books
Math Art is the accessible choice: sculpture and textile art, each with the equation behind it. The Golden Ratio follows one proportion through art, architecture and nature. Mathematics and Art is the scholarly history, at 576 pages.
Best under $30In print
Math Art Truth, Beauty, and Equations
- Pages
- 208 pages
- Size
- 8.7 x 9.3 in
- Weight
- 2.29 lb
- Price range
- Under $40
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $26.99
Best for: Readers who want art first and equations second
More than 80 works of mathematical art, among them a crocheted non-Euclidean surface and a 28-foot bronze sculpture covered in a space-filling curve, each with the artist's story and an explanation of the mathematics behind it.
Why it made the list: It shows mathematics as sculpture, textile and 3D-printed objects, each with the equation behind it.
Worth knowing: Equations get short explanations, so it is not a math text.
In print
The Golden Ratio The Divine Beauty of Mathematics
- Pages
- 224 pages
- Size
- 9.55 x 11.7 in
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $40.00
Best for: Readers who like patterns in art, architecture and nature
A study of the golden ratio in art, architecture, plants, animals and the cosmos, with more than 250 color images, including illustrations by Rafael Araujo and photographs of nature and architecture. The lay-flat page size approximates the golden ratio.
Why it made the list: It is the only golden-ratio title here, and it connects mathematics to design and architecture rather than to proofs.
Worth knowing: The author's background is in business and software, not mathematics, and the book rests on his own research into the ratio.
Edition note: Hardcover, ISBN 9781631064869. Quarto lists the trim as 9.25 x 11.42 in; the size shown here is Amazon's.
In print
Mathematics and Art A Cultural History
- Pages
- 576 pages
- Size
- 10 x 12.52 in
- Weight
- 6.87 lb
- Price range
- $40 to $80
- List price (publisher, checked 2026-10-10)
- $74.00
Best for: Readers who want the full cultural history of math and art
A cultural history of mathematics and art from antiquity to now, covering Greek, Islamic and Asian mathematics, the search for foundations in math and in art, and figures from Frege and Mandelbrot to Max Bill and Xu Bing, with 546 illustrations. Neil deGrasse Tyson writes the foreword.
Why it made the list: At 576 pages and 546 illustrations it is the most substantial math-and-art book here.
Worth knowing: Long running text makes it read more like a scholarly history than a picture book, and it weighs 6.9 lb.
Science coffee table books compared
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| Book | Author | Published | Pages | Size | Status | Price range | Best for | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinite Cosmos | Ethan Siegel, with an introduction by Brian Greene | National Geographic, 2024 | 224 | 9.45 x 12.15 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Anyone who wants the James Webb Space Telescope images at full size | Find on Amazon |
| Universe | DK, general editor Martin Rees | DK, 2020 | 528 | 10.2 x 12.2 in | In print | $40 to $80 | One reference for all of astronomy, with a sky atlas | Find on Amazon |
| Expanding Universe | Owen Edwards, Zoltan Levay, Charles F. Bolden Jr. and John M. Grunsfeld | Taschen, 2020 | 260 | 11.42 x 11.42 in | In print | $40 to $80 | A large square photo book of Hubble images | Find on Amazon |
| Earth and Space | Nirmala Nataraj, with a preface by Bill Nye | Chronicle Books, 2015 | 176 | 9.95 x 11.4 in | In print | $40 to $80 | NASA images of Earth, the planets and deep space with short captions | Find on Amazon |
| The Planets | Nirmala Nataraj, with a preface by Bill Nye | Chronicle Books, 2017 | 256 | 9.38 x 9.38 in | In print | $40 to $80 | A square-format photo tour of the planets, moons and comets | Find on Amazon |
| The NASA Archives | Piers Bizony, with Roger Launius and Andrew Chaikin | Taschen, 2018 | 468 | 12.99 x 12.99 in | In print | $80 and up | A display piece: 400 NASA photographs at extra-large size | Find on Amazon |
| Science | DK | DK, 2021 | 520 | 10.13 x 12.13 in | In print | $40 to $80 | A single book that covers every branch of science | Find on Amazon |
| Thing Explainer | Randall Munroe | Dey Street Books (first printing: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2015 | 64 | 9 x 13 in | In print | Under $40 | Teenagers and anyone who learns from diagrams | Find on Amazon |
| Elements | Theodore Gray | Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009 | 240 | 10.25 x 10.25 in | In print | Under $40 | The periodic table as a photo book | Find on Amazon |
| Molecules | Theodore Gray | Black Dog & Leventhal, 2014 | 240 | 10.3 x 10.45 in | In print | Under $40 | Readers who want to see how atoms combine into everyday materials | Find on Amazon |
| The Beauty of Chemistry | Philip Ball | The MIT Press, 2021 | 392 | 8.39 x 9.37 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Chemistry students and teachers who want chemistry as photography | Find on Amazon |
| Physics | Tom Jackson | Shelter Harbor Press, 2024 | 144 | 9.25 x 11.2 in | In print | Under $40 | A visual timeline of physics from antiquity to the Standard Model | Find on Amazon |
| Microsculpture | Levon Biss | Abrams, 2017 | 144 | 12.52 x 10.12 in | In print | $40 to $80 | A striking first book of microscopy photography | Find on Amazon |
| Nanocosmos | Michael Benson | Abrams, 2025 | 320 | 11.5 x 11.5 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Electron-microscope images of the very small | Find on Amazon |
| The Beautiful Brain | Larry W. Swanson, Eric A. Newman, Alfonso Araque and Janet M. Dubinsky | Abrams, 2017 | 208 | 10.2 x 11.3 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Neuroscience students and readers who like historical scientific drawing | Find on Amazon |
| Plankton | Christian Sardet | University of Chicago Press, 2015 | 224 | 9.75 x 12.5 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Ocean and marine biology readers | Find on Amazon |
| Innumerable Insects | Michael S. Engel, foreword by Tom Baione | Union Square & Co., 2018 | 232 | 9.3 x 10 in | In print | Under $40 | An entomologist's history of insects, at a lower price | Find on Amazon |
| The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel | Julia Voss and Rainer Willmann | TASCHEN, 2026 | 688 | 9.57 x 11.97 in | In print | $80 and up | Evolution and scientific-illustration fans who want a showpiece | Find on Amazon |
| Anatomy | Phaidon Editors, with Thomas Schnalke and Dame Sue Black | Phaidon, 2019 | 344 | 10.35 x 11.8 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Anyone who likes anatomy as art history | Find on Amazon |
| Bourgery. Atlas of Human Anatomy and Surgery | Jean-Baptiste Marc Bourgery and Nicolas Henri Jacob; edited by Henri Sick and Jean-Marie Le Minor | Taschen, 2017 | 722 | 9.84 x 13.7 in | In print | $80 and up | A statement piece for a study, clinic or library | Find on Amazon |
| Earth | DK | DK, 2024 | 528 | 9.65 x 11.37 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Geology, weather and climate in one volume | Find on Amazon |
| Ocean, New Edition | DK, with an introduction by Fabien Cousteau | DK, 2022 | 512 | 10.24 x 12.13 in | In print | $40 to $80 | How the ocean works and what lives in it | Find on Amazon |
| Aerial Geology | Mary Caperton Morton | Timber Press, 2017 | 308 | 9.75 x 11 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Landscape and geology fans who like aerial photography | Find on Amazon |
| Natural History | DK, with the Smithsonian Institution | DK, 2021 | 664 | 9.56 x 11.31 in | In print | $40 to $80 | One reference for animals, plants, fungi and rocks | Find on Amazon |
| National Geographic The Photo Ark | Joel Sartore and Douglas H. Chadwick, foreword by Harrison Ford | National Geographic, 2017 | 400 | 9.61 x 9.69 in | In print | Under $40 | Animal lovers and anyone who cares about conservation | Find on Amazon |
| Dinosaur Art | Steve White (editor) | Titan Books, 2012 | 188 | 10.95 x 12 in | In print | Under $40 | Dinosaur fans and artists who want full-page paleoart | Find on Amazon |
| Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life | DK, with the Smithsonian Institution | DK, 2019 | 440 | 10.2 x 12.13 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Families and fossil fans who want a full reference | Find on Amazon |
| Math Art | Stephen Ornes | Union Square & Co., 2019 | 208 | 8.7 x 9.3 in | In print | Under $40 | Readers who want art first and equations second | Find on Amazon |
| The Golden Ratio | Gary B. Meisner | Race Point Publishing (Quarto), 2018 | 224 | 9.55 x 11.7 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Readers who like patterns in art, architecture and nature | Find on Amazon |
| Mathematics and Art | Lynn Gamwell, with a foreword by Neil deGrasse Tyson | Princeton University Press, 2015 | 576 | 10 x 12.52 in | In print | $40 to $80 | Readers who want the full cultural history of math and art | Find on Amazon |
Best science coffee table book gifts, by recipient
- A scientist: Nanocosmos ($65), electron micrographs of the very small. A chemist gets Elements ($35) and a neuroscientist gets The Beautiful Brain ($50).
- A science teacher: Science ($50), which covers every branch. The runner-up is Thing Explainer ($26.99), for diagram lessons.
- A teenager: Thing Explainer ($26.99). The runner-up is Elements ($35), which comes with a periodic table poster.
- Someone who is not a scientist: Microsculpture ($50), full-page insect portraits. The runner-up is The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel ($125).
- A space fan: Infinite Cosmos ($50). For a bigger gift, The NASA Archives XL ($150).
- A nature lover: The Photo Ark ($35). The runner-up is Plankton ($56).
- A design or art lover: The Golden Ratio ($40). The runner-up is Math Art ($26.99).
Which edition should you buy?
Several of these titles exist in more than one edition, and some editions are different books at a different size and price. Match the ISBN before you buy.
| Book | Edition in this guide | Other editions |
|---|---|---|
| The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel | Slipcased Classics edition, 688 pages, $125 (9783754406106) | 45th Edition pocket format, about $30 (9783836584289). XXL edition, 704 pages, about $200 on Amazon (9783836526463) |
| The NASA Archives | XL edition, 33 x 33 cm, about 12 lb, $150 (9783836569507) | 45th Edition, 6 x 8.5 in, about $30 (9783836588089) |
| Expanding Universe | 2020 edition, 260 pages, 30 new images (9783836583633) | 2015 edition, nearly the same title (9783836549226) |
| Bourgery Atlas of Human Anatomy | XL edition, 722 pages, $100 (9783836568982) | Bibliotheca Universalis pocket edition, 7.7 x 5.5 in, about $23 (9783836556620) |
| Elements by Theodore Gray | Hardcover, 10.25 in square (9781579128142) | Trade paperback (9781579128951) and a boxed set |
| Science (DK) | 2021 printing, 520 pages (9780744045611) | 2016 printing, 512 pages (9781465454201) |
DK’s Universe and Earth each have a US ISBN and a UK ISBN. The links on this page go to the US editions.
How to choose a science coffee table book
Start with the subject. A reader who likes a subject gets more from a book about it than from a general survey. Use a general book such as DK’s Science only when the reader’s interest is science as a whole.
Pick the format. Photo books (Infinite Cosmos, Microsculpture, Nanocosmos) work best on a table and need no reading. DK’s encyclopedias suit a reader who wants facts on every page. Art and history books (Haeckel, Bourgery, The Beautiful Brain) are for display and slow browsing.
Check size and weight against the table. Of the 28 books with a listed weight, 24 weigh between 1.8 and 6 lb. The four heavier ones are Natural History (6.4 lb), Mathematics and Art (6.9 lb), Bourgery (9.3 lb) and The NASA Archives XL (12 lb). Those four need a sturdy table, and none is comfortable to read in your lap. The lightest are Thing Explainer (1.8 lb) and Physics (2 lb).
Match the edition by ISBN. See the edition table above. A different printing of a Taschen book can be a different size at a different price.
Set a price band. Eight books list under $40, nineteen list from $40 to $80 and three list at $80 or more (Bourgery, Haeckel and The NASA Archives XL). Publisher list price is the reference here; the Amazon price changes.
Science coffee table books FAQ
What are the best science coffee table books?
DK's Science: The Definitive Visual Guide (520 pages, $50) is the best overall pick because it covers every major science. By subject, Infinite Cosmos covers space, Theodore Gray's Elements covers chemistry, Microsculpture covers microscopy, Phaidon's Anatomy covers the human body, DK's Ocean covers the sea and Math Art covers mathematics. This guide lists 30 hardcovers in all.
What is the best science coffee table book as a gift for a scientist?
Nanocosmos ($65, 320 pages) is the strongest gift for a working scientist: it holds electron micrographs of radiolarians, diatoms and Apollo lunar samples at 11.5 inches square. A chemist gets Elements ($35), and a neuroscientist gets The Beautiful Brain ($50), which reproduces about 90 of Ramon y Cajal's drawings.
What is the best science coffee table book for adults who are not scientists?
Microsculpture ($50, 144 pages) works best because its full-page insect portraits need no scientific background. The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel ($125) is the showpiece option, and The Photo Ark ($35, 400 pages) suits anyone who likes animals.
Which science coffee table books are good for teenagers?
Thing Explainer ($26.99) explains machines and systems with the 1,000 most common English words. Elements ($35) is a photograph of each of the 118 elements and comes with a periodic table poster. Math Art ($26.99) shows mathematics as sculpture and textile art.
What are the best coffee table books about space and astronomy?
Infinite Cosmos ($50) has the James Webb Space Telescope images. Expanding Universe ($40) has the Hubble images with fold-out panoramas. DK's Universe ($50, 528 pages) is the reference with a sky atlas, and The NASA Archives XL ($150) is the largest at 33 cm square. Little Astronomy has a longer space-only list.
What are the best chemistry coffee table books?
Theodore Gray's Elements ($35) photographs all 118 elements, and his Molecules ($29.99) covers the compounds in everyday materials. The Beauty of Chemistry ($49.95, 392 pages) photographs chemical processes such as snowflake growth and chemical gardens.
What are the best coffee table books about the human body, anatomy or the brain?
Phaidon's Anatomy ($59.95, 344 pages) surveys 5,000 years of anatomical art. Taschen's Bourgery atlas ($100, 722 pages) reproduces a 19th-century anatomical atlas with fold-outs. The Beautiful Brain ($50) covers neuroscience through Ramon y Cajal's drawings.
What are the best coffee table books about the ocean and marine life?
DK's Ocean ($50, 512 pages) covers seafloor geology and seawater chemistry as well as marine life, with an atlas drawn from satellite data. Plankton ($56) has 550 color plates of living plankton on black backgrounds.
What are the best dinosaur coffee table books for adults?
Dinosaur Art ($34.95, 188 pages) shows the work of ten leading paleoartists and how they reconstruct extinct animals. DK's Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life ($55, 440 pages) is the reference, covering more than 500 animals, plants and microbes across geological time.
How big and heavy are science coffee table books, and will they fit on a normal table?
Of the 28 books here with a listed weight, 24 weigh between 1.8 and 6 lb and measure about 8 to 14 inches on a side. Four are heavier: Natural History (6.4 lb), Mathematics and Art (6.9 lb), Bourgery (9.3 lb) and The NASA Archives XL (12 lb, 33 cm square).
How much do science coffee table books cost?
Publisher list prices run from $24.95 (Physics) to $150 (The NASA Archives XL). Eight of the 30 books list under $40, nineteen list from $40 to $80 and three list at $80 or more. The Amazon price changes and is often below list.
Which edition of The NASA Archives, Ernst Haeckel or Expanding Universe should I buy?
For The NASA Archives, the XL edition (ISBN 9783836569507, 33 x 33 cm, $150) is the display book; the 45th Edition is a 6 x 8.5 in book at about $30. For Haeckel, the 688-page slipcased edition (9783754406106, $125) is the one in this guide. For Expanding Universe, buy the 2020 edition (9783836583633), not the 2015 one.