The Brooklynites, by Seth Kushner and Anthony LaSala (powerHouse Books, $35) Perfect for the coffee table of any proud Brooklyn resident, this book captures in hundreds of photos and brief testimonials the people living in what Jonathan Lethem refers to as “functional utopia.” Therein, you’ll find Spike Lee, Steve Buscemi and Paul Auster, to name a few. There’s also a sword swallower, a pizzeria owner and borough booster Sufjan Stevens on his bike.
The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen (Norton, $35) Maybe you don’t need help analyzing “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” But do you know which Andersen story influenced Oscar Wilde, or that the Danish author once thought about titling another famous fairy tale “The Ugly Swan”? Edited by folklore specialist Maria Tatar, this heavily illustrated volume is a great way to learn more about this amazing and strikingly strange storyteller. d.
The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon, $24.99 paperback) The excellent film adaptation of Satrapi’s graphic memoir opens on December 25, making this handsome omnibus the perfect companion for a holiday trip to the Cineplex. Satrapi’s recollections of her adolescence in revolutionary Iran and, later, school in the highly foreign Vienna are drawn with a mixture of wide-eyed wonder and cool-headed insight.
The Gift, by Lewis Hyde (Vintage, $14.95 paperback) Hyde’s classic, just republished in a 25th-anniversary edition, is the perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who is or wants to be an artist. Maybe that sounds like musty Me-Decade bunk, but Hyde is fierce when he tackles modern consumer culture, interesting when he discusses the history of gifts and inspirational when he moves on to Walt Whitman. Plus, David Foster Wallace recommends it.
Creem: America’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll Magazine, edited by Robert Matheu and Brian J. Bowe (Collins, $29.95) Sure, coffee-table books typically focus on the well-behaved, but for those who just want to rock out, this tribute to the defunct mag will be a beacon of light. Most of the writing is delightfully juvenile, wildly opinionated and funny to boot. And the pictures—Stiv Bators in the tub, Keith Richards smoking in bed, Grace Slick in a bar bathroom—will be tonic for anyone feeling stifled during the holidays.
