# What Do You Think of My Idea for a Coffee Table Book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 1, 2002, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621 "2002-05-01T02:44:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/1 "2002-05-01T02:44:16Z")
I recently got a home computer and am facinated by what you can do with it. I especially enjoy saving images I like on CD-ROM. As I’ve already said on the _bbboards_, I having been thinking for some time what it would be like to make my own **coffee table book** dedicated to something that has been near and dear to my heart for some time now–_the beauty of men_. I’ve already lined up some nice images from the image section of google (quite possibly the best image search engine on the web– [here](http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en), you can try it for yourself if you like). I cannot put the images here–it might violate some copyright or something, plus I’m not sure how to do that. But, if you will indulge me for a moment, I would like to describe my _coffee table book_ as it now exists on my CD-ROM. Remember, as I said on the _bbboards_ it will be set to a famous quote from Shakespeare’s _Hamlet_. Enjoy: **TITLE PAGE:** “What a Piece of Work is a Man” [in Edwardian Script] “by William Shakespeare and (my name)” [in Arial Black] **CAPTION:** _“What a piece of work is a man!”_ **PICTURE:** From the Sistine Chapel: God giving life to Adam. **CAPTION:** _“How noble in reason!”_ **PICTURE:** Nobel laureate Albert Schweitzer. **CAPTION:** \* “how infinite in faculty!”\* **PICTURE:** A male and female police detective on the field. **CAPTION:** \*“in form and moving how express and admirable!” **PICTURE:** NFL superstar Keyshawn Johnson. **CAPTION:** \*“in action how like an angel!” **PICTURE:** New York firefighters raising the battered flag over ground zero. **CAPTION:** _“in apprehension how like a god!”_ **PICTURE:** Stephen Hawking, noted professor and genius. **CAPTION:** _“the beauty of the world!”_ **PICTURE:** A lone flower. **CAPTION:** _"the paragon of animals!_ **PICTURE:** A mother gorilla with her children. So what do you think? You will notice though I am gay, I have included a female police person for completeness. I have also included an African-American athlete, also for completeness. But it was not entirely accidental that I chose Mr. Johnson. He seems very attractive to me. Plus he has some unusual lines and symetry, especially around his legs and face. [Here](http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/NV--1_1834_1860_2080_4442/PD--10042811/SZ--3/posters.htm), you can see for yourselves what I mean. All I need now is to take it to _“Kinkos”_ to have it taken off CD-ROM and put into booklet form. The only problem is I originally wanted it in **coffee table book form**! Does anyone know someone who would do that for me. In any event, thank you all for letting me share this with you. TTFN:D ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/2 "2002-05-01T03:11:34Z")
BTW, this book will purely for my own use and enjoyment. Of course if a book publisher ever said he liked it I would be glad to sell the idea to him. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/3 "2002-05-01T03:15:10Z")
I meant this book will **be** purely for my own use and enjoyment. That brings up a good question. We obviously aren’t allowed to correct our posts once they’re posted. But what rules of ettiquette (I’m talking informally, of course) apply to posting a **correction** to your post? Hmm… ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/4 "2002-05-01T04:06:49Z")
> [@](#): > > But what rules of ettiquette (I’m talking informally, of course) apply to posting a correction to your post? Hmm… It’s o.k., several of my posts are corrections to previous posts. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/5 "2002-05-01T17:30:50Z")
I finished getting the last color copies at _Kinkos_ today. They were about a buck each. For some reason, I couldn’t get some of them enlarged the way I wanted to. Other than that, I would say it looks very good for an amateur’s work. I bound it in a simple and cheap plastic binder. _So how do I get my coffee table book version–and more importantly–for **how much**?_ ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/6 "2002-05-01T19:30:11Z")
_"For some reason, I couldn’t get some of them enlarged the way I wanted to._ Yeah, I’m pretty sure Keshawn’s straight. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/7 "2002-05-02T01:29:59Z")
I realize **lieu** is joking. And Mr. Johnson is obviously _straight_. But my appreciation of the beauty of men–especially as expressed in this _“book”_–far transcends things like sex and sexual attractiveness. On the other hand, my being _gay_ does give me a heightened sense and greater appreciation of the _artform_ that is man perhaps the same way a wine taster with a unusually sensitive palate might say. TTFN:) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/8 "2002-05-02T01:32:57Z")
_Mr. Johnson isn’t going to **kill** me now, is he? I meant no harm. Oh, well._ ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/9 "2002-05-02T02:22:03Z")
This thread title made me nostalgic for **Seinfeld** ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-for-a-coffee-table-book/106621/10 "2002-05-02T03:20:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by **Jim B.** \* > But what rules of ettiquette (I’m talking informally, of course) apply to posting a **correction** to your post? Hmm… Speaking for myself, I would never post a correction unless my meaning was unclear in the original post. If you can figure out what I was trying to say, I don’t need to correct it. Some people do like to, though.