8 Big & Beautiful Books for the Bookworm

THE STAR TREK BOOK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS BOLDLY EXPLAINED (DK, RANDOM HOUSE) by Paul Ruditis, Sandford Galden-Stone & Simon Hugo

Go where no man has gone before with this book about all things Trek, packed with intergalactic facts and trivia about the greatest science fiction sagas of all time. And yes, it’s really been over fifty years since the star ship Enterprise took to the stars.

BIG HISTORY: EXAMINES OUR PAST, EXPLAINS OUR PRESENT, IMAGINES OUR FUTURE (DK, RANDOM HOUSE). Lead Senior Editor: Helen Fewster

This beautifully illustrated book travels through 13 billion years of history, from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization to the present day.

And it’s a wrap! Look no further for ideas to create perfectly pretty packages. Jane Means, the “Giftwrap Guru,” is known far and wide for her work for British royalty, Harrods and Fortnum & Mason in London, among others. And the best part is that many of the tips are simple enough for even the most frenzied of Santas.

With personal recipes from the likes of Joyce Carol Oates and Neil Gaiman, this cookbook brings a whole new level to book club noshing.

Explore the streets of ancient Jerusalem, neoclassical Paris and old New York when it was still called New Amsterdam with this collection of maps, plans and paintings of the world’s greatest and oldest cities.

From forest, field and farm to table, this beautifully photographed book is packed with simple recipes based on good, wholesome food. Healthy, delicious, and a snap to prepare: not a bad beginning to the New Year!

For the true whisky connoisseur, the book explores over 650 varieties of whiskys with detailed tasting notes on malts, blends, grains and more from around the world.