Some gift books for those who like 'em hot

Associated Press Writer

Someone on your holiday gift list who likes the movie "Some Like It Hot" probably would like receiving a video or DVD of the 1959 film.

But if that fan loves -- no, is obsessed with! -- the movie, and you have $150 in your gift budget, you might have to consider the coffee table book "Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot" (Taschen) by Dan Auiler, a lavish celebration of the "Best Comedy of the Century," according to the American Film Institute.

The book's fuzzy yellow covers open to nearly a yard wide to reveal 843 illustrations, including movie stills, pages from the script's first draft, scenes from the production, interviews with some of the film's principals, and memorabilia. Inside the back cover is a removable replica of leading lady Marilyn Monroe's script with notes in her handwriting.

"Some Like It Hot" is only one of the many hot new books that make ideal holiday gifts to satisfy a variety of interests -- from church architecture to China's Great Wall, folk art to football, flowers to photography, and Irish immigration to "I Love Lucy."

One of the most popular subjects for coffee-table books is art, and this year, there is no shortage of beautiful books for the art lover on your list.

For the serious art admirer, there is "Art History" (Abrams, $95) by Marilyn Stokstad. This two-volume revised and updated version of the 1995 work features heavily reworked sections on Renaissance, Baroque and Modern art; a clearer layout; and 1,295 illustrations, most in color, including hundreds of new ones.

The treasures and landscapes of the Silk Road, northwest China's ancient trade route, are displayed in "Monks and Merchants" (Abrams, $65) by Annette L. Juliano and Judith A. Lerner. The book's 375 illustrations depict many of the wares, created in glass, stone, clay, and precious metals. Included are a jade hairpin, a seated Buddha with parasol in gilt bronze, and a miniature barnyard set in clay and pigment.

In "Van Gogh and Gauguin" (Thames & Hudson, $65), Douglas W. Druick and Peter Kort Zegers trace the daily activities of the two artist friends during their two-month collaboration in Arles, France. The book's 510 illustrations include photos of family and significant sites; maps; and examples of their artworks, including self-portraits dedicated to each other.

"Caravaggio" (Abbeville, $95) by John T. Spike includes nearly all the extant works by the 17th-century Italian painter who shocked his contemporaries by using friends as models for his Christian figures. The 170 illustrations depict works with religious and secular themes, including "Doubting Thomas," in which the apostle pokes his finger into Jesus' wound to make sure it's real, and "Lute Player." Included is a CD-ROM with the paintings' specifications.

Plates, paintings and pocketbooks, a tall-case clock and a wooden box. Walking sticks, weather vanes, and George Washington carved from walnut. These are among the examples of American folk art celebrated in "American Radiance" (Abrams, $75), which features the 400-plus pieces of the Ralph O. Esmerian gift to the American Folk Art Museum in New York. The book features text by Stacy C. Hollander et al. and nearly 800 illustrations.

Impress someone with "American Impressionism" (Abbeville, $85) by William H. Gerdts. This revised edition of the 1984 book features a new chapter on Impressionist themes and 425 illustrations, including 25 new ones. Works on display include "Breakfast in Bed" by Mary Cassatt and "My House" by John Twachtman.

Those who find great art in great architecture will find plenty of both in "Churches" (HarperCollins, $35). Author Judith Dupre takes readers through the book's split covers, which open like church doors, and on a tour of the architectural, cultural and historical backgrounds of 60 churches worldwide. Among them: Westminster Abbey in London; Church on the Water in Hokkaido, Japan; St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York; and Salt Lake Temple in Utah.

Another type of art -- the art of photography -- is the theme of a number of handsome new books. One is "Ansel Adams at 100" (Little, Brown, $150) by John Szarowski. Published to commemorate the birth centennial of the photographer known for his striking black-and-white landscapes of the American West, this linen-slipcased volume contains reproductions of 114 of Adams' works.

A chunky little book -- about the size and shape of a brick -- "Earth From Above: 365 Days" (Abrams, $29.95) by Yann Arthus-Bertrand takes readers around the world, from Madagascar to Montana, with a bird's-eye view of Earth for each day of the year. Fly over the Taj Mahal in May, view a January storm over the rain forest in Brazil, admire the spire of New York's Chrysler Building in the November twilight.

"The Best of Leifer" (Abbeville, $75) is culled from the 40-year career of Neil Leifer, whose photos appeared in Time, Life, Sports Illustrated and other magazines. Its 175 images are divided into "Sports" and "Politics and Beyond." Among the photos: Muhammad Ali stands triumphantly over a flattened Sonny Liston, 1965; Pope John Paul II visits Iowa, 1979; Princess Diana and Prince Charles get married, 1981.

Recent work by Agence France-Presse, the news agency established in 1835, is displayed in "Facing the World: Great Moments in Photojournalism" (Abrams, $49.50). Its 400 photos, most in color, capture sporting events, conflicts, natural disasters, politics and the arts. Fan riots kill 39 at the World Cup finals in Brussels, Belgium, in 1985; in 1982, guerrillas in El Salvador dance with their ladies in the woods, but hold onto their weapons, just in case; and another dance is turned by the swimsuit-clad Clintons on the beach in the Virgin Islands.

Nature buffs will need a sturdy coffee table for "Cabinet of Natural Curiosities" (Taschen, $150). This huge (12 by 18 inches) and hefty (636 pages) book is the size of a small suitcase. In 724 illustrations, it displays the collection of Albert Seba, an apothecary in 17th-century Amsterdam who collected natural specimens -- turtles and toads, bats, birds and butterflies, porcupines and pythons. If room permits, you can open the six four-page fold-out posters bound into the book.

"The Wildlife Photographs" (National Geographic, $50) by John G. Mitchell features 175 photos of wildlife, divided into habitats -- temperate forest, tropical forest, open country, oceans, the poles. Among the critters: four blue-nose caterpillars from Costa Rica are right under your nose; manatees frolic in Florida's waters; a flock of ostriches stretch their legs, out for a run in Namibia; and emperor penguins congregate like rush-hour commuters, in Antarctica.

A lavishly illustrated history of the garden flower blooms in "Flora" (Firefly, $60) by Brent Elliott, archivist at the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library in London. The book is divided into five geographical regions and includes flowers from all over the world, as preserved by botanists, cultivators and discovers, in hundreds of illustrations from the library's collection.

Sports fans know that basketball thrills often happen "At the Buzzer!" Doubleday, $50). Text by Bryan Burwell and hundreds of photos relive the "greatest moments" in National Basketball Association history, including the 1962 game in which Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points; and "The Shot," Michael Jordan's 1989 playoff game-winning jumper at the buzzer. Also included: two audio CDs of original radio and TV broadcasts, plus interviews with the players.

More than 700 photos illustrate more than a century of baseball history, in "Baseball: A Celebration!" (DK, $50) by James Buckley Jr. and Jim Gigliotti. This decade-by-decade chronicle traces America's pastime, from Alexander Cartwright to Alex Rodriguez. A photo sequence from 1874 shows early star George Wright demonstrating his hitting, throwing and fielding techniques. A 1910 shot of Ty Cobb at bat displays the stance that gave him baseball's best lifetime average (.367). And in a 1937 photo, the baseball announcer at the mike for radio station WHO is Ronald Reagan, that's who.

"The NFL Experience" (DK, $29.95) shows that when the Super Bowl ends, football season is only beginning. This book takes readers through 12 months of football -- hopeful rookies and veterans near the end of training privately, summer practices and training camps, the 16-game season and the postseason. Photos show players, fans, coaches, cheerleaders, the field, stands, locker room and sidelines.

Armchair travelers can "book" a trip to "Spectacular Canada" (Hugh Lauter Levin, $75) by Gerald Bryan Hall. This horizontal book opens to 32 inches wide and some of its 180 color photos fold out to 40 inches. One photo shows patches of snow dotting the cobblestone streets of Rue St. Louis in Old Quebec, as Christmas decorations twinkle in the twilight. In another, an Inuit returns to the warmth of his igloo from a hard day's hunting. A panoramic shot shows Rose Blanche, a Newfoundland fishing village whose houses in bright hues of pink and blue and green sit precariously above the Atlantic.

Roland and Sabrina Michaud spent five years photographing "The Great Wall of China" (Abbeville, $85), a 2,200-year-old structure built to keep out invaders but which now attracts tourists. Text by Michel Jan and 165 illustrations provide a history of the wall, pictures of ancient artworks and literature, and descriptions of daily life. Photos capture the wall in detail, from a distance, and during every season, and show its diversity along its thousands of miles.

The wildlife, landscape and native peoples of "Africa" (Wildlands, $75) by Michelle A. Gilders are featured in 252 color photos by Art Wolfe, who has made more than 25 trips to the continent. In photos, a chimpanzee poses in Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania; a cheetah surrounded by her young looks warily at the photographer; and members of Ethiopia's Surma tribe gather. A two-page panorama shows scores of lesser flamingos congregating at a stream.

A history book to read and to play with, "Journey of Hope: The Story of Irish Immigration to America" (Chronicle, $24.95) by Kerby Miller and Patricia Mulholland Miller, features fold-outs, pockets and envelopes. Interactive features include an envelope that holds a woman's letter home describing her 1870 voyage to America; a pullout flyer offering "millions of acres" for sale in Iowa and Nebraska; and a stamped, addressed envelope with a typewritten letter from playwright Eugene O'Neill expressing interest in seeing his ancestral home in Ireland.

"Great Projects" (Free Press, $40) by James Tobin is a companion to a four-part public television series scheduled for 2002. In more than 250 photos, maps and diagrams, the book celebrates America's eight greatest engineering achievements, among them: the Hoover Dam, Edison's lighting system, New York's bridges, Boston's revamped street system, and the Internet.

Machu Picchu in Peru, Valley of the Kings in Egypt, Temple of Hercules in Rome and Xuanjian tower in China. These are among the endangered sites profiled in "Vanishing Histories" (Abrams, $60) by Colin Amery with Brian Curran. The book's 222 illustrations show 100 endangered sites -- suffering from the effects of war, vandalism, neglect or just time -- chosen by the World Monuments Watch, founded in 1996 to attract attention to and provide funds for endangered cultural sites worldwide.

In "An Illustrated History of the First World War" (Knopf, $50), John Keegan adapted text from his 1999 book "The First World War" and added 440 photos, maps and drawings, some never before published. Illustrations include propaganda posters; a photo of women working in a British munitions factory; and a letter from an Australian ship's captain demanding the surrender of the German cruiser Emden.

For music fans, there's "The Book of Rock" (Thunder's Mouth, $39.95) by Philip Dodd, a chronicle of 50 years of rock music that profiles 500 artists, from Abba to ZZ Top, with a photo, commentary and quotation for each. "What's that weird noise? I guess that's our band" (Kim Shattuck of the Muffs). "... Just forget us, OK?" (Steve Turner of Mudhoney.)

Anyone who loves Lucy will love "I Love Lucy: Celebrating Fifty Years of Love and Laughter" (Running Press, $39.95) by Elisabeth Edwards. Each of the classic TV series' 179 episodes -- from 1951-1957 -- is presented chronologically with photos, facts and dialogue. Also: lists of every guest star appearing and every song performed, a 500-question trivia game and Lucy memorabilia.

Can't get a ticket to "The Producers"? Who can? The next best thing might be "The Producers" (Talk Miramax, $40) by Mel Brooks and Tom Meehan, a photo chronicle of the hugely successful Broadway musical. This volume includes the libretto and lyrics, and photos from rehearsals, the production, costumes and set designs.

The fashion-conscious might have designs on "How the West Was Worn" (Abrams, $45) by Holly George-Warren and Michelle Freedman. Its 249 illustrations display fashions of the American West, from the 19th century to today, in photos, paintings, print ads and pages from mail-order catalogs.

In "Femme Fatale" (Viking Studio, $35), celebrity hairstylist Serge Normant exhibits 20th-century hairstyles with examples from each decade. His models? Current-day actresses cast as they might have looked years ago. See Kate Moss as Disco Diva of the 1970s, and Elizabeth Hurley as a Bond girl of the 1960s. Ellen Barkin is the 1930s platinum blonde, and the 1950s Sultry Starlet is none other than -- Britney Spears!