London is a sumptuous limited edition book of revealing and engaging photography of one of the world’s great cities. Taking in the high spots as well as capturing the pulse of life in the metropolis, this is what the coffee table was designed for. Bryant’s photography captures the full range of life and expression in this iconic city: from the quiet lanes, private gardens and architectural detail of beautiful old buildings to industrial zones, marketplaces, pubs, galleries, parks and the tube. It’s an illuminating and stunning look at the grand old city. As an extra bonus, this book is a limited to an edition of 5,000 and comes with a numbered photographic print of Tower Bridge signed by the photographer.

AMAZON

—Sarah Zupko

Humor is relative. I just wish he were related to somebody else. I just made that up. I think. But I probably heard it somewhere else in the past, oh, 80 years of American humor that is captured in pop culture and ray-gunned at my susceptible brain from the boob tube, from radio waves, from subliminal messages flashing on the silver screen, from my own sick, twisted genetically programmed need to find some things in life to be just so damned funny while my mate sits beside me, arms crossed, eyes rolling. Indeed, most all of the humor captured in this anthology of “The Funny Business of America” is relatively funny. OK, that’s corny. But one can’t help but be inspired to give it a shot when flipping through these pages of funny quotes, funny pictures, and funny bits of historical trivia that, well, really make you laugh, or guffaw, or at least giggle a bit. (Any less than that and if you’re not already dead then you should be, dammit.) You may prefer Phyllis Diller (from the “Nerds, Jerks, Oddballs, and Slackers” section) to Richard Pryor (in “The Groundbreakers” section), but no matter the shade of your quirk (slapstick? dark? sophisticated? crude?), this book has you covered.  Based on the documentary film of the same title by Michael Kantor (aired on PBS), give this coffee-table-sized book to someone whom you want to make, at the very least, smile.

AMAZON

—Karen Zarker

Treating the movie poster as the legitimate and pioneering art form that it is, this massive collection of more than 1,500 examples of international poster art will delight the art gallery crowd as much as the hard core film buff. Covering postwar movie history and spanning the globe, the book offers a comprehensive look at 2D representations of film. The focus here is firmly on the art side of the equation with works that would feel right at home in any fine art gallery or museum. Indeed, these posters do all reside at New York’s Posteritati Gallery. There are many milestones in graphic design represented on these fine glossy pages as well as a lifetime of moviegoing memories. Deluxe, gorgeous and thought-provoking all at once.

Art of the Modern Movie Poster: International Postwar Style and Design

—Sarah Zupko

We batched these three together because they’re clearly, quintissentially for the hardcore comics enthusiast. These are history books first—documenting the first appearance of a character, the initial emergence of a storyline, the series’ run, the writers and artists—and art books simultaneously, true to the form.  These books are big, they’re gorgeous, and of course, they’re ‘encyclopedic’ in scope and presentation.  The ecstatic recipient has a large, sturdy bookshelf, no doubt cluttered with comics actions figures, with which to house them.

The DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition
The Vertigo Encyclopedia
Marvel Chronicle

—Karen Zarker

It’s simultaneously an art history 101 and a coffee table pleasure that will offer hours of reading or even just hours of enjoying the pretty pictures, the last bit being vital in any really great coffee table book. Art does indeed begin in pre-history and continue up to the present, looking at new media and regional art scenes around the world. Prefaced by an educational overview on composition, color and techniques, the book then highlights all the key phases of worldwide artistic movements, the primary innovators and representatives of those styles, and delves into detailed specifics on distinctive aspects of iconic works of art via zoom-ins on sections of those works with brief text. Despite the inherent dangers in tackling such a massive chunk of cultural history, Art manages to maintain its broad view, while illuminating and offering real insight.

—Sarah Zupko

You don’t have to be a comics lover to delight in this slice of American pop culture history—Depression era entertainment, anyone?—but the comics lover in your life will totally geek out on this collection of artwork (from sketches to full, gorgeous renditions), depictions of products (Superman undies for boys, decoder rings), and events (Superman Day and Valentine’s Day, 1940), and DC trivia (25 accessible archivale pieces stored in clear plastic cases). Billed as a “museum-in-a-book” with rare collectibles, a modern reader will feel the ghosts of enthusiasts past looking over their shoulders—oh, wait, that’s your kid, scooching in next to you to get a look. Best make room on the couch when you open this one.

AMAZON

—Karen Zarker