Books make the perfect gift: They’re informative, pretty to look at and best of all, easy to wrap. So we’ve rounded up some suggestions for everyone on your list, from the dog lover to the wine snob to the fashion plate.
For the Broadway lover
“Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics” by Stephen Sondheim (Knopf)
The book includes lyrics from the classics, as well as some entertaining (and, yes, catty) anecdotes about Sondheim’s life in theater.
For the fashionista
“Manolo’s New Shoes,” by Manolo Blahnik (Monacelli Press)
All fashion lovers worship at the throne of Manolo Blahnik. But for most of us, giving a pair of his shoes to your favorite fashionista is out of the budget. Luckily, you can get all the style and substance in this collection of 130 drawings of his work by the man himself (just don’t try to wear the book, please).
For the photographer
“Simply Beautiful Photographs” by Annie Griffiths (National Geographic)
As the title suggests, this giant, colorful tome is filled with famed imagery from the National Geographic Image Collection, one of the richest photo archives on Earth. As an added bonus, it comes with a framable print of the photograph that adorns the cover.
For the wine snob
“The Art and Design of Contemporary Wine Labels” by Tanya Scholes (Santa Monica Press)
Do you know someone who judges a bottle of wine by its cover? They might not be too far off base. In this enlightening book, author Scholes reveals the connection between what’s on the label and what in the bottle, as well as takes an in-depth look at over 250 labels and what makes them stand out.
For the cook
“Jamie’s America: Easy Twists on Great American Classics and More” by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion)
Is this some kind of foodie sacrilege? A British chef writing about American food? Well, kinda. But in his tenth cookbook, Oliver looks at our national cuisine as a fascinated outsider traveling the U.S. He recounts his journey in this book, as well as shares his take on classic and not-so-classic American dishes to make at home.
For the dog lover
“Dogs” by Tim Flach (Abrams)
Dogs! Look at these amazing dogs! This book is filled with over 100 pictures of the most terrific animal on the face on the planet! Ach! Dogs! Beautiful, awesome dogs!
For the artist
“The Art of Jaime Hernandez: The Secrets of Life and Death” by Todd Hignite (Abrams)
One of the best comic artists working today, Hernandez’s influential work is finally in anthology-form in this impressive collection of illustrations. Best of all, author Hignite does a great job of chronicling Hernandez’s assent into the art world, as well as detailing what makes him such an icon.
