Real Dictionary

coffee-table book
a large, lavishly produced book with many illustrations and, often, an inferior text, esp. one regarded as being for ostentatious display, as on a coffee table
countable noun: A coffee-table book is a large expensive book with a lot of pictures, which is designed to be looked at rather than to be read properly, and is usually placed where people can see it easily.
noun: a book designed to be looked at rather than read
noun: an oversize, expensive, and usually illustrated book suitable for displaying, as on a coffee table