Here is a book that tries to take in the whole of its subject, from pioneers Rudy Wiedoft and Sidney Bechet to present-day practitioners Greg Osby and Kenny G. Edited by The Observer jazz writer Gelly (also a professional sax man), "Masters of Jazz Saxophone" proceeds chronologically through the obvious choices, from Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, through Charlie Parker and on to Ornette Coleman.

But there are some great side trips as well. Peter Vacher takes a look at little-known sidemen during the swing era; Tony Russell examines the "honkers and screamers" of R & B; and Michael Tucker takes a good look at the Europeans, such as Willem Breuker and Peter Brotzmann. A list of recommended discs appears at the end. The combination of scholarly (but not off-putting) writing and beautiful production make this a gem of a gift.

Balliett approaches jazz with a combination of sophisticated literacy and unstuffy grace rare among critics of any kind, but particularly unusual for jazz writers, who often write for other critics. Fascinated by musicians as people, Balliett brings his eye for detail - a smile here, a manner of holding a cigarette there - into the mix of the music, making it that much more alive.

He is also a master of metaphorical language. He once described a trumpet solo as moving "from the floor to the ceiling." The penetrating essays in this collection, arranged chronologically, begin with the first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954 and move through players such as Cootie Williams, Max Roach, Jo Jones, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, Ornette Coleman, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano and Bill Charlap. Delicious stuff, from the hors d'oeuvres to the brandy.

However, though the book is full of great yarns, hundreds of black-and-white pictures, and tons of interview transcriptions, as history it's pretty bad and should be avoided. Most of the book is consumed by the first 50 years of jazz, with too much material about Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong; the last 25 years are barely dealt with at all. Along the way, enormously influential players such as the pianist Bill Evans (one of many glaring examples) are hardly given the time of day.

Worse, the book is drastically skewed toward the ideology held by Wynton Marsalis (and his intellectual colleagues Stanley Crouch and Albert Murray), which holds that the musical revolutions of the '60s - electric "fusion," world music and free improvisation - were a disaster, and it was only the revival of traditional swing by Marsalis and others that "saved" jazz. Anyone wishing to find a more complete, accurate and up-to-date overview of jazz history should consider Ted Gioa's "The History of Jazz" (Oxford) or Lewis Porter's "Jazz: From Its Origins to the Present" (Prentice Hall).

Published by the same people who do the popular travel series, and written mostly by British enthusiasts - the world music trend began in London, in the late 1970s - "World Music" has 1,435 pages (total for both volumes), and takes on the planet geographically.

Volume 1 considers Africa, Europe and the Middle East; Volume 2 takes on Latin and North America, the Caribbean, India, Asia and the Pacific. Heavily illustrated and smartly laid-out, "World Music" has lots of bonus sidebars, such as song lyrics, an overview history of such movements as Brazil's Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB) and, of course, lists of discs for recommended listening. It's right up to date, with coverage of such performers as Carlinhos Brown and the Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Group. You simply cannot go wrong with this one.