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 This list of recommendations for gift books goes for substance over style. There are dozens, nay, hundreds of coffee-table books published each year on topics ranging from Faberge jewelry to body-piercing. But in the spirit of the season, this list tilts toward books that combine beautiful design with information, meaning and even a message.
text by Charles Johnson (Viking Studio, $40). Johnson, a University of Washington professor and National Book Award winner, provides the narrative thread for this stunning collection of photos that span the years of King's tragic and inspiring life, from Montgomery to Memphis.
(Wildlands Press, $55). The Seattle wildlife photographer's masterwork photos of some of the world's most spectacular animals, along with information about their habits, range and status. A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to the Wildlife Conservation Society, as will the photographs.
by Eric Scigliano and Tim Thompson (Graphic Arts Center Press, $34.95). Scigliano, a longtime editor and writer at the Seattle Weekly, takes on the topic of his adopted home with pungent and insightful prose, a worthy companion for Thompson's crisply elegant photos. (Note: This is as much a book about the Puget Sound region as the Sound itself.)
photographed and with text by Edward Curtis (Simon & Schuster, $60). This new collection of Curtis' portraits of Native Americans includes an introduction by Curtis scholar Christopher Cardozo and a foreword by N. Scott Momaday.
by Kristin Capp (Edition Stemmle, $65). Part-time state resident Capp won praise in 1998 with her book of photos, "Hutterite: a World of Grace." This book is a survey of her black-and-white photographs of the beautiful and the bizarre in our country, many taken in Washington state.
text by Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, photos by Eddie Adams (Crown, $50). Depending on your inclinations, this book can make you very depressed or very uplifted. The stories of people who have put their lives on the line worldwide for human rights are inspiring; the stories of the brutality they battle are horrific. Adams is a Pulitzer-prize winning photographer; Cuomo is a veteran human-rights worker.
by Paola Gianturco and Toby Tuttle (The Monacelli Press, $60). A great gift for the crafts lover or human-rights activist in your family - a beautifully photographed account of how women all over the world are using indigenous crafts to support and improve the lives of their families.
edited by Peter Stepan (Prestel, $29.95). Photos that burned their way into the world's Weltanschauung, with fascinating followups on the events and the people who shaped them. From Soweto to the Gdansk Shipyards to Tiananmen Square, these photos show that historic change comes at a high price.
by Pam Roberts (Artisan, $60). Roberts, curator of the Royal Photographic Society's collection of historic photos. Stunning photos march us through the history of the art. It has a British bent, but includes others, such as Fred Holland Day's photos of Boston tenement children in the 1900s, and Larry Burrows' war photography from Vietnam.
by Roselyne de Ayala and Jean-Pierre Gueno (Abrams, $55). This book, first published in France, has a French tilt, but it is nonetheless a kick to see the young Victor Hugo's notebooks and the 16-year-old Claude Monet's caricatures.
Science/Nature by Franz Lanting (Taschen, $39.95). Exquisite photos of tropical rain forests and their denizens by a fantastically talented photographer.
by Raymond Booth (Callaway, $65). Drop-dead gorgeous botanical paintings and illustrations by one of the finest living botanical illustrators.
edited by Marc Bekoff, foreword by Stephen Jay Gould (Discovery Books, $35). An absorbing book for animal lovers: how animals, from chimps to guppies, manifest emotions in the face of such experiences as losing a child or confronting an enemy.
watercolors and text by Helen Butterfield (Abrams, $19.95). A beautifully illustrated and designed book about 250 varieties of tropical fish. It looks like a kids' book, but the text is accessible and entertaining for readers of any age.
Specialities by Martin Gardner (Norton, $39.95). For the Oz freak on your list, this is a compulsively readable book that presents the original text of Frank Baum's book, along with copious notes on why he wrote what he wrote. Presents a facsimile of a rare 1900 edition, along with with many beautiful illustrations from advertising of the day. Gardner is an Oz scholar.
by Gareth Williams (Viking Studio, $23.95). An elegant little book that traces the 1,600-year history of the game and the evolution of the design of pieces and boards, by a chess expert and collector.
by Francoise Mouly (Abbeville, $50). Mouly, art director for the New Yorker, captures the heart and soul of America's premier literary magazine with this collection of the best of 75 years of New Yorker covers.
by James Parakilas and others (Yale University Press, $39.95). Maybe you missed the fact that this year marks the tricentennial of the piano. This book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the history, lore and idiosyncrasies of the instrument - great for the pianist in your home or for those who just love to listen.
photographs selected by Jeff Brouws and Ed Delvers, text by Jeff Brouws (Abrams, $50). An evocative retrospective of nighttime railroad photography between World War II and the mid-1960s. Makes you hear that lonesome whistle blow.
Christmas and Christianity by Charles Dickens (Simon and Schuster, $14.95). Charles Dickens wrote this version of the New Testament for his children, who ranged from a few months to 12 years old, to answer their questions on religion and faith. Dickens asked that it not be published, but (surprise) his descendants decided to do so in 1934. It's been recycled periodically since, because, face it - this guy knows how to tell a story.
by Abbas (Abrams, $60). This fascinating book is a documentary look at Christianity in all its permutations, from the wall that separates Protestant and Catholic Belfast to Pentecostal snake-handlers to the faithful in Cuba, who worship despite 40 years of government repression. Some of the photos included stretch the concept a bit, but they're always fascinating.
edited by Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark (Oxford University Press, $19.95). Old favorites and fresh new offerings, with beautifully simple illustrations. The kids will curl up with this one. |
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