Coffee table book

A coffee table book, also known as a cocktail table book , is an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table intended for use in an area in which one entertains guests and from which it can serve to inspire conversation or pass the time. Subject matter is predominantly non-fiction and pictorial (a photo-book). Pages consist mainly of photographs and illustrations, accompanied by captions and small blocks of text, as opposed to long prose. Since they are aimed at anyone who might pick up the book for a light read, the analysis inside is often more basic and with less jargon than other books on the subject. Because of this, the term "coffee table book" can be used pejoratively to indicate a superficial approach to the subject..

In the field of mathematics, a coffee table book is usually a notebook containing a number of mathematical problems and theorems contributed by a community meeting in a particular place, or connected by a common scientific interest. An example of this was the Scottish Book created by mathematicians at Lviv University in the 1930s and 1940s.

In the 1980s, British comedy duo and Jones released The lavishly-tooled Smith and Jones Coffee Table Book^[15] — its cover was designed to look as if the book could double as a coffee table.

Smith

The 1987 comedy has a running joke about one of the character's attempts to write a "coffee table book", the book is a list of female celebrities he'd like to have sex with.

Throw Momma from the Train

The fifth season (1993–1994) of the sitcom included a story arc involving Kramer wanting to write a coffee table book about coffee tables which would have legs built into the back cover and coasters built into the front cover, so the book itself could be turned into a small coffee table. Elaine Benes, who worked for Pendant Publishing, did not think that Kramer's idea was any good, but her boss (Mr. Lippman) learned about it from Kramer himself and turned it into a book, much to Elaine's dumbfounded surprise and dismay.

Seinfeld

In the 2012 episode "You Can't Do That on Television, Peter", Peter states that he, Joe Swanson and Glen Quagmire are making a coffee table book of lesbian butts in 1980s jeans.

Family Guy

Conan features a sketch called "Coffee Table Books That Didn't Sell", in which Conan O'Brien reviews several fake coffee table books with odd and nonsensical premises, such as Movie Stars With Their Eyes Pushed Closer Together.

Late-night talk show

Coffee table books have been featured in several areas of popular culture.

Books portal

Coffee portal

Artist's book

Livre d'art

(2002). Madonna. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-98310-7.