Coffee table book

A coffee table book is a book designed to inspire conversation by sitting on a coffee table or similar conveyance in an area where guests are entertained. Coffee table books tend to be large and heavy, due to there being no need for frequent movement, and they tend to value pictures with short pieces of text over long prose.

A famous story arc in the American sitcom Seinfeld involved Kramer trying to get his idea for a coffee table book published, chiefly at Elaine's employer, Pendant Publishing. The idea was for a coffee table book discussing significant coffee tables, with legs built into the back cover and cupholders built into the front cover, so it would act as a coffee table if necessary. Kramer also appeared on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, a syndicated morning chat show that became Live With Regis and Kelly in 2000 after Kathie Lee Gifford was replaced with Kelly Ripa, with typical hilarious results.