In form, a writing table is a pedestal desk without the pedestals, having legs instead to hold it up. This is why such tables are sometimes called leg desks.
The writing table is often called a "bureau plat" when it is done in a French style such as louis xvi etc. When a writing table is supported by two legs instead of four, it is usually called a table.The writing table is also sometimes called a library table, because it was often placed in a home library. This was the room in a house where a gentleman would keep literature and also do his business transactions. The library often housed, in addition, a round desk called a rent table and sometimes a drawing table.The term library table is sometimes applied indiscriminately to a wide variety of desk forms, in addition to being used for writing tables.Some writing tables have additional drawersbuilt above the surface. In this case they are often called instead of writing table, unless they have a more specific form, such as that of a house desk.