Beautiful and Useful Books

I think books are a beautiful way to decorate a home - spice up a bookshelf by organizing books by color, face forward, slightly opened, propped up to be displayed, etc. Like this beautifully decorated bookshelf for example:

From Pure Style Home

Beyond the books, just gather vases and figurines around the house. You can find stuff like this at garage sales and thrift stores for cheap.

For the book portion, I'm sure you all have books around the house, packed away or on various shelves to compile to one beautiful shelf. But if you're in need, here are some books on my wish list that I not only want to read, but to decorate with as well:

The Well-Dressed Home by Annette Tatum

The Gospel According To Coco Chanel: Life Lessons From The World's Most Elegant Woman
By Karen Karbo and Illustrated by Chelsey McLaren
Um, who wouldn't want to step inside Coco Chanel's life?

The Style Strategy: A Less-Is-More Approach to Staying Chic and Shopping Smart
By Project Runway's Nina GarciaWhat Would Audrey Do?
By Pamela Keogh
Well, what would she do? I want to know!

The Illustrated Quick Cook
I looked through this at Anthropologie, and not only is this extremely useful - but pretty, too!
$12 cheaper thru Amazon

And one I already have:I Married Adventure
By Osa Johnson
Original Zebra Hardcover, 1940s edition
I got this recently after my Fall Wish List post

Domino: The Book Of Decorating
And you can spy this pretty book up on the shelf in the first photo.

And maybe some to keep around the house as a reminder...?

How to Speak Politely and Why
By Munro Leaf

Manners Can Be Fun
By Munro Leaf

Maybe not a bad idea just to have these kid and adult friendly reminders around? Sometimes adults forget those basic things we learned (or should have) as kids. I think these are cute.

So, what are some of your favorite pretty books? Does anyone have any of these - recommend/don't recommend?