Coffee Table Book (Seinfeld)

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The Coffee Table Book About Coffee Tables is a fictional book written by Cosmo Kramer, featured in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld.

[edit] Origin

Kramer's idea to create a coffee table book "about coffee tables" originated in the fifth season of the series. Kramer's quest to get the book published became a running gag throughout the season. Elaine was portrayed as disliking Kramer's idea to write the book. It was Kramer's girlfriend Toby (who worked at Pendant Publishing) from the episode "The Fire" that allowed the book to get published.

The storyline reached its end in the fifth-season finale "The Opposite," which featured Kramer making a guest appearance on Regis and Kathie Lee to promote the book. It was at the end of his appearance that he took a sip of hot coffee and spit it out all over Kathie Lee Gifford, which caused Mr. Lippman (Elaine's boss and head of Pendant Publishing) to discontinue TV promotion on the book.

Nevertheless, the book would continue to garner success for Kramer years later. In the episode "The Wizard," a "big Hollywood so-and-so" options the book for a movie, earning Kramer enough royalty money to allow him to retire to Florida at his early age. Although Kramer moved back to New York almost immediately, he presumably was still a made man after this.

[edit] The book

In "The Opposite," Regis Philbin describes the book as being filled with pictures of celebrity coffee tables. It was then that Kramer revealed that the book itself had fold-out legs and could turn into a coffee table of its own if the owner did not have one. The legs were shown to support the weight of a coffee mug when placed on the cover.

According to the Regis and Kathie Lee interview, Kramer thought of the idea for the Coffee Table Book while skiing. However, the first mention of the book occurs in the house of Frank and Estelle Costanza in "The Cigar Store Indian."

Later in the series, Kramer informs Jerry that he has gotten a movie deal out of his book (Season 9 Episode 171 - The Wizard). When asked what he would be paid for the film, Kramer responded, "Let's just say that I don't have to worry about working for a while."

In 2004, Sony Pictures Television created a limited run of 500 actual collector's item "coffee table books" signed by Jerry Seinfeld and given to affiliates who were running the show in syndication. The color book was an overview of the entire Seinfeld run, with episode by episode anecdotes, and actually came contained in a dark wood book that had legs that folded out in order to make it stand like a table.

Seinfeld

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Characters

Main Characters:

Jerry Seinfeld • George Costanza • Elaine Benes • Cosmo Kramer

Associated with Jerry:

Helen Seinfeld • Morty Seinfeld • Uncle Leo • Kenny Bania • Sally Weaver • Dr. Tim Whatley

Associated with George:

Estelle Costanza • Frank Costanza • Susan Ross • Mr. Wilhelm • Mr. Kruger • Lloyd Braun • George Steinbrenner

Associated with Elaine:

J. Peterman • David Puddy • Mr. Lippman • Justin Pitt • Sue Ellen Mischke

Associated with Kramer: