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Jack Mitchell has been a preeminent photographer of the fine and performing arts for a generation. His portraits of dancers, painters, and theater people have adorned the covers of Dance magazine and the "Arts and Leisure" section of the New York Times on countless occasions. Some of these elegant images are assembled in Icons and Idols: A Photographer's Chronicle of the Arts, 1960-1995. The black-and-white portraits, dramatic and at the same time subtle, include some of the biggest names in the business: Robin Williams, Andy Warhol, Gloria Swanson, and Leonard Bernstein, just to name a few. Mitchell's poignant snapshots of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, perhaps his most recognizable work, were taken days before the legendary singer/songwriter was murdered. Icons and Idols would make a welcome gift for any fan of either the arts or the print media. -Ron Kaplan
A Photographer's Chronicle of the Arts, 1960-1995 By Jack Mitchell Watson-Guptill, $40 ISBN 0817440259
The entire first volume is devoted to painting. The author, Karl Ruhrberg, traces a remarkably seamless line from the innovations of the Impressionists in the late 1800s to the up-to-the-minute workings of contemporary artists around the world. Even veteran art enthusiasts will be startled by the freshness of the abundant images chosen to illustrate the book which pioneer relationships between artists of different countries. The distinct treatment of categories on sculpture, new media, and photography in the second volume sets this book apart from previous surveys of 20th-century art which repeatedly accorded lesser status to these artforms than to the progression of painting. Different authors handle each section and provide a unique opportunity to trace the development of artists within these fields unimpeded by the simultaneous advances in painting. Additionally, a large portion of the second volume is comprised of helpful biographical sketches of all the artists discussed in the book. Art of the Twentieth Century offers a bright, pleasurable overview of the most dynamic period of development in the visual arts. It is compiled so skillfully that a tour through the cornucopia of illustrations alone will continually inspire new apprecations for the often difficult art of our times. -Chris Wyrick
By Karl Ruhrberg and others Taschen, $79.99 ISBN 3822885762
In case you need to be reminded that the third rock from the sun is a strange and wonderful world, turn to the Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Animals: A Visual Who's Who of the World's Creatures, edited by Philip Whitfield. A brief introduction explains classification by evolutionary kinship, and the rest is pure fun. The 2,000+ illustrations are lovely, the information astonishing, the very names worthy of Lewis Carroll: bandicoot, pudu, stink badger, greater racquet-tailed drongo, crested serpent eagle, marbled salamander, secretary bird. (Quick: How can you tell a dibatag from a gerenuk?) The king cobra's head can be as big as a human's, and it is the only snake known to create a nest for its eggs. The young of the Nile mouthbrooder fish hatch inside the mother's mouth and return to it when frightened. The naked mole rat's social structure is more like that of insects than of mammals. This is not trivia. This is a gorgeous family album -- our own. -Michael Sims
A Visual Who's Who of the World's Creatures Edited by Philip Whitfield Simon & Schuster, $50 ISBN 0684852373
Photographers and nature lovers will be captivated by Chased by the Light, a new book of photographs from world-renowned nature photographer Jim Brandenburg. The book grew out of a self-assigned challenge: to take just one picture a day for the 90 days of fall. "Each photograph would be a true original, like a painting," and would capture a scene in Brandenburg's beloved home, the boreal forest of northern Minnesota. Through 90 stunning color photographs -- ranging from 350-year-old cedars to the aurora borealis to the bloody pawprint of an injured wolf -- and insightful journal entries, Brandenburg evokes the spirit of this "wild and isolated place." In the process, he captures something more as well. As National Geographic editor William Allen observes in his foreword, "with every frame we see the breadth of nature in a single shot." -Beth Duris
By Jim Brandenburg NorthWord Press, $35 ISBN 1559716711
Sexy, yet down to earth. Practical, yet fun. A body that turns heads, but doesn't reek of pretension. A description of your dream date? Not exactly. These are the images conjured up by Justin Lukach's Pickup Trucks: A History of the Great American Vehicle. Part history lesson, part real-life love story, this glossy, picture-filled book pays homage to the hardworking, four-wheeled beauties that have been transformed from a farmer's best pal to a collector's fantasy find. Lukach documents the emergence of the pickup from its earliest beginnings in the hands of Henry Ford, up through 1999 models. His detailed research into the rise and fall of the vehicles' popularity speaks not just for the trucks themselves, but for the changing needs and desires of Americans over the past eight decades. Call it an education with a heart -- scattered throughout the pages are delightful, personal stories of pickup lovers whose infatuation leads them to spend years reconditioning their brawny-bumpered babies. By book's end, you'll be itching to take a drive in one of these royals of American culture. -Emily Abedon
A History of the Great American Vehicle By Justin Lukach Black Dog & Levanthal, $24.98 ISBN 1579120113
When holiday madness limits the time you have to indulge in fine literature, don't fret. Southern Christmas: Literary Classics of the Holidays, edited by Judy Long and Thomas Payton, is a compilation of 28 short works from some of America's finest authors. A mix of fiction, poetry, and memoir of the Yuletide, this anthology, spanning 150 years of writing, reveals the diversity of experience and perspective among Southerners. Some of the talent contributing to the picturesque descriptions include Mark Twain, Truman Capote, Eudora Welty, and Alex Haley. Each provides vivid characters and slice-of-life narratives that prove the best gifts come in little packages. Even Scrooge would have to smile at "Merry Christmas You-All," poet Ogden Nash's playful wink to those Christmas card artists who apparently don't understand that the joyful season need not have snow. His last line could be this collection's final word: "So cross the Mason-Dixon Line and be my Christmas Valentine." -Emily Abedon
Literary Classics of the Holidays Edited by Judy Long and Thomas Payton Hill Street Press, $15.95 ISBN 1892514087
Does size matter? The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live answers with a big "yes." Author Sarah Susanka, a residential architect, argues that bigger is not always better. She challenges the conventional "notion that houses should be designed to impress rather than nurture." With the help of her beautifully photographed book, we too can imagine square footage in terms of quality, not quantity. To have a house "where each room is used every day," and that expresses "our values and our personalities" can be a dream within reach of anyone building, remodeling, or just rearranging the furniture. -Joanna Brichetto
A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live By Sarah Susanka Taunton, $30 ISBN 1561581305
The world at your fingertips Rand McNally attempts to provide a portrait of the planet with its new Portrait World Atlas. The Random House Dictionary says a portrait is a "verbal picture or description," which, technically, doesn't describe this huge compilation of digitally produced, up-to-the-minute, and easy-to-use maps and index. What is described, and described quite well, is a collection of the Earth's greatest natural wonders, selected from each continent. But the highlight of the atlas is, of course, the maps. For planning trips, tracking world events, or researching homework assignments, an atlas is essential, and this one, not surprisingly, comes highly recommended. -Joanna Brichetto
Rand McNally, $39.95 ISBN 0528839950
Adrian Bloom's Year Round Garden: Color in Your Garden from January to December is gorgeous and absolutely packed with information. This could either be inspiring or daunting, depending on one's level of gardening confidence and ambition. Reader be warned: Bloom's garden is in England -- the magical gardening isle where everything that gets poked into the dirt blooms to Edenic excess. But, since climate varies wildly even in that tiny country, the plant directories provide a huge range of material, and we Yanks will find more than enough choices to satisfy our local requirements. If your goal is to have something pleasant in the garden every month of the year, pick Bloom. -Joanna Brichetto
Color in Your Garden from January to December By Adrian Bloom Timber Press, $39.95 ISBN 0881924571
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Art of the Twentieth Century is the first comprehensive survey of modern and contemporary art since Robert Hughes's benchmark Shock of the New. And like Hughes, the four authors contributing to this two volume set expertly blend historical record and biographical detail to provide a rousing, insightful portrayal of the workings behind the art of this century.
It's a wild world
A book to pick up again and again
Merry Christmas, y'all
Size does matter
The winter garden