For wrap artists whose loved ones love good books, PEOPLE'S reviewers recommend the following sumptuous possibilities—from a dollface icon to a baseball fan's delight:
edited by Christopher Ramsey; preface by Peter Martins
From George Balanchine to Mikhail Baryshnikov, New York City Ballet has brought many of the century's great dancers and choreographers toe-to-toe. All make an encore appearance in this trove, a beautifully produced book that brims with stunning performance photos and set designs, as well as illuminating essays by admirers like Wendy Wasserstein. (Morrow, $50)
Bottom Line: Perfectly poised bow to a modern ballet institution
photographs by Lee Friedlander
As in-house photographer for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, Lee Friedlander trained his discerning lens on emerging talents from Aretha Franklin to John Coltrane. The subtle portraits here—of a red-booted Tammy Wynette or a young Ray Charles grooving to the beat—rise to the level of timeless art. (Distributed Art Publishers, $49.95)
Bottom Line: Masterly music photography
by Patrick Reyntiens
The Christmas story is told with brief passages from the Bible and—the pièce de résistance—six removable clear plastic panels that replicate exquisite stained-glass windows from churches and cathedrals around the world. The Adoration of the Magi, The Annunciation to the Shepherds, The Nativity—line them up along the kitchen window and let the sun pour through. (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $19.95)
Bottom Line: Lovely and enlightening keepsake
by Marco Tosa
Barbie may be pushing 40, but she's only picking up speed. One minute she's on Star Trek's crew; the next she's modeling the latest igloo wear or running for President. She's had every look short of Steam Pipe Fitter Barbie, and still works overtime as a cultural metaphor. The splashy, silly photos will delight anyone who's ever played dress-up. (Abrams, $19.95)
Bottom Line: Thin but fun
photographs by Véronique Vial
Who says supermodels and actresses always look stunning? Certainly not Véronique Vial, a French-born photographer who captures some of the world's most glamorous women in one of life's potentially most unglamorous settings: at home in the morning, just after the alarm goes off. Sure, some subjects in these black-and-white photos, like former model Helena Christensen, can't help but look radiant in bed; model Frédérique van der Wal tips matters in her favor by posing nude. But other shots, such as a poignant one of Demi Moore and her ailing mother, reveal more raw beauty than any fashion spread. (powerHouse, $45)
Bottom Line: Eye-opening photos of famous women at dawn
by Bertram Ulrich and Roger D. Launius
Gravity-busting geezer John Glenn helps introduce this history of American space travel, generously illustrated by artists commissioned by NASA over the years, from Norman Rockwell to Robert Rauschenberg. With pencil, pen and paint, they show modules, moon craters, liftoffs, splashdowns, astronauts and even some trippy images of Jupiter and Mars. It should send hardcore NASA buffs into orbit. (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $60)
Bottom Line: A space book that flies
by J.C. Suarès
Compiled from news photos, celebrity-with-pet shots and artsy photos going back to the beginning of the century, these dueling collections of animal portraits should give dog and cat partisans plenty of smiles. After all, what's cuter than two mutts wrapped in each other's doggy arms? Perhaps a black puss roaring down the highway on his owner's motorcycle handlebars—depending on your pet religion, of course. (Welcome, $15.95 each)
Bottom Line: The cat's meow for pet lovers
by the U.S. Figure Skating Association; introduction by Peggy Fleming
The impetus for this skating tome is easy to figure out: TV's rink ratings have never been higher. Hence this truly axel-lent, trivia-packed primer on the sport, with sections on skating fashions, great moments on the ice, even tips on how to execute a flying camel or triple toe loop. Now there's simply no excuse for not knowing what a salchow is. (Simon & Schuster, $30)
Bottom Line: Lutz of fun for skating aficionados
photographs by Jeff Dunas
The blues may be a feeling, but it is also a look and a style. In these rich, sepia-toned portraits of contemporary blues musicians, both strut their stuff. Jeff Dunas, a fine-art photographer and fan, flaunts his eye for the telling detail, whether it's B.B. King's upward gaze, Buddy Guy's diamond-studded ring or an imperious smile from the indomitable Ruth Brown. The message: Success came hard to these famous performers, and their faces speak of the miles they've traveled. (Aperture, $50)
Bottom Line: Stunning gallery of American music's unheralded masters
by Michael Mallory
Their humor ran to eye-poking, and their animation practically shouted, "Economy first!" But since joining forces in 1938, Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera have created pantheon of cartoon immortals—including Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones, Scooby-Doo and Yogi Bear—whose influence nearly rivals Uncle Walt's. It's hard to say who might need plot summaries of every episode of Jonny Quest, but the many full-color pictures are pleasingly nostalgic, and who knew that stars like Jodie Foster and Cheryl Ladd lent their voices to HB characters? (Hugh Lauter Levin, $60)
Bottom Line: Yabba-Dabba-Doo!—if you're crazy for cartoons
by Joseph Wallace
As much as the game between the white lines may fascinate us, so do the anecdotes, the lore, the very voices of baseball. Which is what makes The Autobiography of Baseball and its vintage photographs such a delight. In interviews culled from newspapers, magazines, books, radio and TV, the great and near great talk about the game they love.
Babe Ruth, recalling his rookie year, describes the time he offered to beat the tar out of everyone in the Boston Red Sox clubhouse. Sandy Koufax relives his battle to control his fastball. Pete Rose offers this bit of casual baseball poetry on the brilliance of Orioles' third baseman Brooks Robinson: "That guy can field a ball with a pair of pliers." (Abrams, $35)
Bottom Line: For fans, a box seat behind the dugout
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
