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BOOKS
Peter Jackson

Holiday gift books so pretty, no need to wrap

Jocelyn McClurg
USA TODAY
"Dogs in Cars" by Lara Jo Regan

Hey, good looking! For print gift books, it's the most wonderful time of the year, both for those who give, and for those who receive. Here are 10 visual dazzlers, in all shapes and sizes. (Oh, and the content's pretty great, too.)

1. Christmas All Through the South

By the editors of Southern Living, foreword by Rick Bragg

(Oxmoor House, $40)

What it's about: A salute to Southern seasonal hospitality, with recipes and peeks inside decked-out historic homes.

What's to love: No matter where you live in the USA, this handsome volume will have you ready to head south for the holidays.

2. The Art of Film Magic: 20 Years of Weta

By Weta Workshop, foreword by Peter Jackson

(HarperDesign, $100)

What it's about: Two-volume boxed set focuses on two decades of film magic at New Zealand's Weta Workshop and Weta Digital.

What's to love: The effect is definitely special as the curtain is pulled back on The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, The Hobbit and other eye-popping hit movies.

3. Streisand: In the Camera Eye

By James Spada

(Abrams, $40)

What it's about: It's a Streisand-a-ganza, with 170 photos of the great diva, spanning 1960 to the present.

What's to love: Babs fans will consider themselves the luckiest people in the world if they find this tome gift-wrapped under the tree.

"Streisand' celebrates the singer's career.

4. History of the World in 1,000 Objects

By DK Publishing/Smithsonian

(DK, $50)

What it's about: With help from the Smithsonian, this collection of objects begins with the Stone Age and ends with the Smartphone Age.

What's to love: Time flies as you page through images of everything from early tools (20,000-700 BCE) to arms and armor (1450-1750) to denim duds (1900 to the present).

5. Dogs in Cars

By Lara Jo Regan

(Countryman Press/Norton, $19.95)

What it's about: Who wants to go for a ride? Champ, Jordan, Oliver and Daisy are among the canines who've clambered on board.

What's to love: These irresistible doggies digging the feel of the open road will leave you drooling with delight.

6. Cat Lady Chic

By Diane Lovejoy

(Abrams Image, $18.95)

What it's about: Photos of gorgeous creatures in seductive poses. The famous "cat ladies" – from Grace Kelly to Marilyn Monroe to Keira Knightley – are none too shabby, either.

What's to love: Classy cats, classy dames, classy book.

"Christmas All Through the South"

7. Little Humans

By Brandon Stanton

(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99)

What it's about: Photos of pint-size New Yorkers, by the author of the best-selling Humans of New York.

What's to love: This is technically a children's book, but these cool kids will appeal to humans of every size.

8. World's Best Cities: Celebrating 220 Great Destinations

Foreword by Annie Fitzsimmons

(National Geographic, $40)

What it's about: The country is nice, but it's cities that sizzle in NatGeo's latest travel blockbuster.

What's to love: With apologies to Billy Joel, this book will put armchair travelers in a New York (and Moscow, Marrakech, Buenos Aires, Singapore…) state of mind.

9. Penguin Christmas Classics

Various authors

(Penguin, $16 each)

What they're about: Five holiday tales: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; A Merry Christmas by Louisa May Alcott; Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope; The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol; The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann.

What's to love: Remember how Christmas was celebrated before Black Friday with these 19th-century authors, in small uniform volumes wrapped in pretty jackets (books are sold individually).

10. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

By Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns

(Knopf, $60)

What it's about: Companion volume to this fall's acclaimed PBS series about Teddy, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

What's to love: A sepia must-have for those who were glued to Ken Burns' series.

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