EZ Gift Picks: For Book Lovers

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These coffee table books are as timeless as they are stunning. Here, 15 reads that will be a hit with all the book lovers on your list, from foodies and sports fans to art and travel and history buffs

 

This comprehensive study of impressionism in Canada portrays the life and works of fourteen of the country’s most significant artists, including luminaries such as William Blair Bruce, Maurice Cullen, J. W. Morrice, Laura Muntz Lyall, Marc-Aurele de Foy Suzor-Cote, Helen McNicoll and Clarence Gagnon. It’s a big beautiful book you just might want to gift to yourself.

Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca

 

Shopping for the shutterbug on your list? This stunning book from world-renowned photographer, writer, and broadcaster Tom Ang, celebrates the most iconic photographs and photographers of the past 200 years. From the origin of photography in the 1800s to today’s digital age, the book gives a comprehensive look at the people, the photographs and technologies that have shaped the history of photography.

Available at Amazon.ca

 

This book from Canadian designer and HGTV star Sarah Richardson is filled with inspiration and elegant ideas for transforming your home, from the laundry room on up to the living room, kitchen, master bedroom and every space in between. People thinking of downsizing or transitioning to a condo or flat, will find tips for living stylishly in smaller spaces.

Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca

 

Create a cozy book nook lifted from the pages of your favourite novel. This beautifully photographed book takes its inspiration from the stylish worlds found in classic reads like The Age of Innocence, Sense and Sensibility and Wuthering Heights, and gives decorating ideas for incorporating their timeless elegance, stately secrets and sense of drama into your own home. It’s the go-to gift for both book-lovers and design divas.

Available at Amazon.ca and Indigo.ca

Everything you want to know about the great game of golf, from the world’s most accomplished players, to the best high tech equipment and the famed legendary courses. For beginners, there’s a crash course called “Play Like a Pro” with tips from the masters. (Another fun perk is the book’s cover: It’s green and fuzzy – like the links – and infinitely stroke-able. The editors at Zoomer can’t resist a quick pat whenever they come by my desk!)

Available at Indigo.ca

 

If the game is hockey and the team is the Leafs, than this is the book.Veteran sports writer Mike Ulmer has partnered with the team to profile some of the greatest players of all time, including legends like Johnny Bower, recent fan favourite Doug Gilmour and current sniper Phil Kessel. In what is the first of an eight-part series, the book contains a wealth of entertaining stories, quotes, stats, memorabilia and photographs.

Available at Amazon.ca and Indigo.ca

 

Foodies will crave this collection of more than300 authentic international recipes such as Feijoada (Brazilian stew), Frango Piri Piri (Portuguese spicy chicken) and Andalucian Tripe. Billed as the meat lover’s bible, the book includes expert advice from butchers, cooking techniques and tips on flavor pairings.

Available at Amazon.ca

 

This stunning book from the Smithsonian tells the history of the world through civilization’s most valued objects. From the oldest book written in the Americas, the Mayan Dresden codex, to the actual watch Napoleon used to synchronize with his generals at Waterloo to the earliest examples of blue and white Chinese vases, the book contains a treasure trove of human creativity from early societies to the present day. Beautifully illustrated maps and timelines make it easy to compare how people lived at different times and in different parts of the world.

Available at Amazon.ca and Indigo.ca

 

“Maps codify the miracle of existence” – Nicholas Crane, Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet

 In this beautifully illustrated book from the Smithsonian, the history of human development and culture is told through the great art of cartography, from ancient maps such as medieval mappae mundi to the modern technology of Google earth. More than geographical data, historical maps reveal the spiritual and philosophical beliefs of a culture, and Great Maps features a fascinating selection of maps made during key moments in world history.

Available at Amazon.ca

Perfect for sharing with the LEGO-loving kids in your life, this book follows the artists, builders and inspiration behind the popular LEGO Architecture series. Stunning images and in-depth information of the real buildings on which the series is based, like the Guggenheim™, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Empire State Building, gives real life context to the intricate sets.

Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca

 

For the baker or candlestick maker on your list, this book will inspire with more than 100 culinary gift ideas to make and bake at home, from warming liqueurs, decadent desserts, and spicy chutneys to crumbly homemade biscuits and flavored oils. And when the cooking is done, the book gives elegant ideas for wrapping your culinary treasures in style.

Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca

Named Globe and Mail ‘Artist of the Year’ in 2013, contemporary Canadian artist Kim Dorland has captured the country’s imagination with his paintings that are, at the same time, beautiful, complex and uncomfortable. This richly illustrated book explores Dorland’s vibrant body of work, and includes a series of conversations “Seductions and Agitations” between the Dorland and art critic, Robert Enright.

Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca

CHICAGO PORTRAITS (Midway Books) edited by the Chicago Tribune staff

If Chicago is your kind of town, you’ll love this fascinating collection of photos from the prize-winning photographers of the Chicago Tribune. Spanning over the past century, the photos capture daily life in Chicago and many of the famous – and infamous – people who have lived in, or passed through, the always colourful City of Big Shoulders.

Available at Amazon.ca

Raise your glass to a book about all things beer! The Beer Book embarks a worldwide taste tour of thirst-quenching lagers, filling stouts, trendy fruit-based brews as well as classic ales and bitters.

Available at Amazon.com

 

Harold Barling Town (1924-1990), a founding member of Painters Eleven, has been called “The Picasso of Canada.” The book gives a lively account of Town’s life and art (he began painting at age 3) and includes 120 reproductions of his work, which is held in the world’s renowned museums including the Tate Modern in London and MOMA in New York.

Available on Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca