The Sunday Digest 095
You don't need coffee to enjoy a coffee table (but it helps).
Welcome to The Sunday Digest — a free Sunday newsletter featuring long (and some short) reads, original columns, things I’ve saved over the last week, relaxing playlists, episodes releases, exclusive product drops, and more. Yes, you can reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you. Or, if podcasts are more your speed on Sundays, we’ve got that too.
Sunday Read › The Coffee Table Coup: How Big Books Spawned an Even Bigger Econom
by Andrew Zucker for Town & Country Magazine
Sometimes I wonder how much my parents’ coffee table book collection had an effect on me. I remember so many of them so vividly, probably because they were right at eye-level for so many years. From English gardens to Western paintings, there was no shortage of information on that table in front of me.
These days, I wish I had more coffee table books on display. Unfortunately, three-year-olds enjoy ripping the pages more than they enjoy lethargically reading them. So until he’s ready, I’ll simply live vicariously through the coffee books of others.
Here’s an excerpt from this week’s read:
“Coffee table books have never been more relevant, with people spending more time at home,” she says. “From a publishing standpoint, it makes so much sense to have these beautiful pieces of art that people can collect to give people a sense of who they are and what they're interested in in their home.”
While the average reader likely doesn't know the difference between a HarperCollins and a Penguin Random House release, art book publishing houses have built recognizable brands.
“When I look at a Taschen book for example, I know it's going to be high quality,” says Susan Park, who works at a start-up in Los Angeles. “There are many brands out there that are so great at keeping that high quality.”
Read in full here.
The Sunday Haiku: Early Flight, Traveler Delight
Take the early flight,
no matter how late the night,
to skip Sunday fright.
New Episode › Retail Therapy 085: Home Bars & Hype Beasts (Listener Questions)
This week, we fielded a ton of listener questions — which brands give Instagram vs. legit, when brands over-hypebeast, brands that have fallen off, brands we miss, moving cities in your 20s, cost effective vinyl setup starting points, bar cart flexes, college game day fits that aren't polo shirts, the ideal tailgate, preventing wear and tear in the crotch of jeans, shopping in Italy vs. USA, cologne recs, and more. We also discuss some articles of interest ranging from Charli XCX's birthday party, Rodent Men < Beefcakes, and Sabrina Carpenter's Erewhon smoothie.
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube (see above), and anywhere else podcasts are found. And a reminder to follow Retail Therapy on Substack!
Things I Saved This Week
Additional Reading
One of my new favorite Substacks as of late, Noah Daniel White had a great post on incense holders earlier this week.
A great piece from New York Times food writer Pete Wells on the lack of human touch in the current dining-out experience.
Not quite sure why but I enjoyed these rules that the writer for Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote had for the series.
“How can I support Sunday Scaries?”
Listen to our Retail Therapy.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Subscribe to all Washed Media Podcasts.
Or, you can simply subscribe here:
this is my Sunday morning paper 📰