By Gabrielle Pantera
The successful holiday present is something the recipient wants yet also serves as a touchstone of the emotional bond shared with the giver. Books kicked off the modern concept of general holiday gift-giving. Until the 1820s, gifts were almost always handmade. Book publishers began promoting mass-produced goods as presents, inventing a genre of books called Gift Books…anthologies of poetry, fiction, essays, and drawings. Today perhaps the best gift books for gifts are the tabletop books, whether cooking, biographies or travel.
Cooking
The Vintage Tea Party Book: A Complete Guide to Hosting your Perfect Party by Angel Adoree. Hardcover, 306 pages, Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Dist, (February 16, 2012), Language: English, ISBN: 9781851496877$ 29.95
Create the perfect tea party. Ideas for what to wear, the type of china to use and flower arrangement. Fashion is covered too from head to toe. Filled with illustrations, and recipes.
The London Cookbook: Recipes from the Restaurants, Cafes, and Hole-in-the-Wall Gems of a Modern City by Aleksandra Crapanzano. Hardcover, 320 pages, Publisher: Ten Speed Press (October 11, 2016), Language: English, ISBN: 9781607748137 $35.00
With recipes from London’s best restaurants, coffee houses, dessert boutiques, hole-in-the-wall eateries, tea and cocktail lounges, you can recreate a bit of London at home. London hasn’t always been considered the top cuisine, but it’s reputation has improved to become known for flavorful food. Not only do you get the recipes, you can add the restaurants to your travel plans…the Cinnamon Club, River Café, Tramshed or Nopi. The perfect balance between approachable home cooking, armchair travel and actual travel to London.
Les Petits Sweets by Kathryn Gordon and Anne E. McBride. Hardcover, 304 pages, Publisher: Running Press, (September 6, 2016), Language: English, ISBN: 9780762457281 $18.00
Dessert the French way. In small bites. This book shows over 15 different desserts that make tasty bites. Great to add to a tea party of for after dinner during the holidays or after. Classic French techniques are explained in each recipe from start to finish with wonderful images of the finished dishes. For in the kitchen or leave it out as a conversation starter. Unusual flavors in these petite desserts include Earl Grey, lavender, cassis, cardamom, apple-yuzu. Go ahead…have dessert first.
People
Breaking Stones: 1963-1965 A Band on the Brink of Superstardom by Terry O’Neill, Gered Mankowitz and Robin Morgan. Hardcover, 240 pages, Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Dist, (April 7, 2016), Language: English, ISBN: 9781851498161 $49.95
It’s London, 1962, Oxford Street at the Marquee Club. The Rolling Stones are performing. The early years of a band that still sells out concerts today. Photos by Terry O’Neill and Gered Mankowitz. Rare and unseen photos, contact sheets, and original articles from the Record Mirror (1963), Evening Standard (1964) and Detroit Free Press (1965). Quotes from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Bill Wyman. Full interviews with Terry O’Neill & Gered Mankowitz. Photos relive memories of the time the photos were taken.
Style Power Victoria Beckham by David Foy. Hardcover: 100 pages, Publisher: Art of Publishing (November 30, 2016), Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-0993240751 $20.99
The evolution of Beckham’s clothing brand, from her style spin on other designers to her launching and leading her own line with ever-changing fashion styles over the years. As she matures she becomes more sophisticated, yet modern with a sense of fun and daring. How to put it all together. Her latest line from 2016 is included. For the fashionista in your life.
This book is the second collaboration between author David Foy and the London College of Fashion. The first was Galliano: Fashion’s Enfant Terrible in 2015.
Travel
111 Places in London That You Shouldn’t Miss Paperback by John Sykes. Series: 111 Places, Paperback: 240 pages, Publisher: Emons Publishers (September 15, 2014), Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-3954513468 $19.90
Beyond the well-known places that most people go when visiting London, there are some great destinations less known, even for those who live there. Some are related to famous spots. Others are off the beaten path. Bars that go back for centuries, concrete fortresses, 300 year-old wine shops and synagogues, mosques and Buddhist temples, a tree planted in 1802, a medieval cemetery for pariahs, a street lantern which has been lit for more than 100 years, a monument to 10,000 Jewish children saved from the Nazis, a monument to the Great Fire of 1666, the police den on Trafalgar Square, legal and illegal street art, a crypt with skulls and bones are arranged in a checkerboard pattern, or the secluded place where Paul McCartney hid his office.
The Little Book of Paris by Dominique Foufelle. Hardcover: 176 pages, Publisher: Hachette Livre Editions Du Chene (September 23, 2015), Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-2812313318 $16.95
Organized by French neighborhoods, starting with the first arrondissements. The illustrations are engravings. For the Frankophile. This book reveals why the Place de la Nation was formerly called la Place du Trône. Why the Hôtel de Ville stands where it is. The Eiffel Tower saved from destruction. Learn the secrets of the famous monuments in Paris. Beautiful images. The font is a bit light, so not for the vision impaired. The book was translated from French to English.
