Coffee table book: Difference between revisions
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A '''coffee table book''' is a style of [[hardcover]] [[book]] designed to rest on a [[coffee table]] or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus provoking conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for portability. |
A '''coffee table book''' is a style of [[hardcover]] [[book]] designed to rest on a [[coffee table]] or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus provoking conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for portability. |
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Subject matter is generally confined to [[non-fiction]], and is usually visually-oriented. Pages consist mainly of photographs and illustrations, accompanied by captions and small blocks of text. [[History]], [[art]], [[entertainment]], and [[biography]] are popular genres. |
Subject matter is generally confined to [[non-fiction]], and is usually visually-oriented. Pages consist mainly of photographs and illustrations, accompanied by captions and small blocks of text. [[History]], [[art]], [[entertainment]], and [[biography]] are popular genres. There is even a coffee table book about coffee tables called [http://mocoloco.com/archives/000145.php][http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/190103304X/qid=1134246681/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-9745100-8631208?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 The Coffee Table, Coffee Table Book] by [[Alexander Payne]]. |
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== Role in popular culture == |
== Role in popular culture == |
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The [[United States|American]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Seinfeld]]'' featured a [[story arc]] with a coffee table book about coffee tables. |
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In a well-known [[story arc]] of the [[United States|American]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Seinfeld]]'', [[Kramer]] conceives an idea for a "coffee table book ''about'' coffee tables", featuring such subjects as "the [[history]] of coffee tables" and "[[celebrity|celebrities]] and ''their'' coffee tables". |
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When [[Elaine Benes]]'s employer, [[Pendant Publishing]], has agreed to print the book, Kramer takes it on a [[advertisement|promotional]] tour. During an ill-fated appearance on ''[[Live with Regis and Kathie Lee]]'', he demonstrates his book's built-in cupholder and collapsable legs, which allow it to unfold and "become" a coffee table. |
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[[Category:Literature]] |
[[Category:Literature]] |
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Revision as of 20:41, 10 December 2005
A coffee table book is a style of hardcover book designed to rest on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus provoking conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for portability.
Subject matter is generally confined to non-fiction, and is usually visually-oriented. Pages consist mainly of photographs and illustrations, accompanied by captions and small blocks of text. History, art, entertainment, and biography are popular genres. There is even a coffee table book about coffee tables called [1]The Coffee Table, Coffee Table Book by Alexander Payne.
Role in popular culture
The American sitcom Seinfeld featured a story arc with a coffee table book about coffee tables.