We all have that one friend who can’t have too many books and who would love to add any of the titles below to their shelf. But even if the person you’re stumped on isn’t necessarily a bookworm, the right book can make a great gift as long as the topic fits. (So maybe don’t give “Hamilton: The Revolution” to your sister who hates musicals or “David Bowie: Behind the Curtain” to someone who has to Google who “Ziggy Stardust” is.)
As most of these are coffee table-type books, there’s the added bonus of being able to use it as “Look, I’m kind of an adult” décor for your best friend’s new studio, or an ice-breaker topic at an awkward holiday party. Most of these also hit on significant pop culture moments from the year, just in case you or your giftee are prone to feeling particularly nostalgic around New Year’s Eve. Here are 11 titles to get your friends, significant others and everyone in between. Or for yourself. We promise we won’t tell.
Music/Entertainment
Blue Man World
By Blue Man Group
Black Dog and Leventhal, $24.99
If you’re like me, the first and only time you’ve seen Blue Man Group was part of your eighth grade graduation field trip. But the group has been a mainstay in Chicago since 1997, and that’s really nothing to scoff at. This book celebrates the group’s 25 years since it formed in New York, and it captures some of the quirky humor that’s made the show a hit.
Hamilton:
The Revolution
By Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
Grand Central Publishing, $45
Chances are you know someone who’s either already seen “Hamilton” and can’t stop talking about it or who’s dying until they can get their hands on some tickets. This behind-the-scenes book includes dozens of photos of the original Broadway cast performing, lyrics to all the songs with footnotes from Miranda and other essays and featurettes about the making of and production of the play. Seriously, your Ham for Ham friend will read this cover to cover.
David Bowie:
Behind the Curtain
By Andrew Kent
Press Syndication Group, $59.95
2016 started off with the loss of the musical icon, and biographies and other books chronicling his artistry and vision have been hitting shelves since then. This coffee table book, however, is comprised of photos taken by Andrew Kent, who was allowed “unfettered access” to Bowie and his entourage from 1975-77. The results are rare, intimate portraits of Bowie, the man behind the stage makeup and the characters, and the superstar adored by fans and cameras.
The Lyrics: 1961-2002
By Bob Dylan
Simon & Schuster, $60
The Nobel Prize committee caused a bit of a stir in October when it named singer/songwriter Bob Dylan as the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” This comprehensive compilation of his lyrics is annotated with Dylan’s own edits, and it offers a new way to experience his songs, for the longtime fan or those just discovering his work.
ARTS/ILLUSTRATION
Color the Classics
By The Chicago Art Institute
Sourcebooks, $14.99
It’s easy to take for granted that we have a world-class museum in our city, but this coloring book helps remind art lovers of all the famous and priceless works of art housed in the Art Institute, whether you’ve been eyeing all these adult coloring books with suspicion or are too deep in the coloring book craze to get out.
Boundless Books
By Postertext
Chronicle, $40
This oversized book is a compilation of 50 “posters” that transform the words of literary classics, such as “A Christmas Carol” and “The Scarlet Letter,” into works of art. The text of each work is used to create silhouettes of famous characters or scenes from the book, and the book even comes with a small magnifying glass so you can take a closer look at the tiny, tiny type.
A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition
By George R.R. Martin
Bantam, $50
This 20th anniversary edition of the first book of George R.R. Martin’s (still unfinished) series is getting a revamp with an illustrated version that clocks in at nearly 900 pages. Every chapter features new artwork and illustrations, which makes it the perfect gateway for the TV fan or the book fan who’s eyeing a reread.
OMG Posters: A Decade of Rock Art
By Mitch Putnam
Regan Arts, $50
Music and art fans alike will want to take a close look at this compilation of 400 prints, most of them rare gig posters from rock shows during the last decade.
FILMS
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
By J.K. Rowling
Arthur A. Levine, $24.99
A book turned into a movie turned back into a book? It’s just another part of the ever-expanding “Harry Potter” world that we live in. Straight from the mind of first-time screenwriter J.K. Rowling herself is the script for the first film of the “Fantastic Beasts” series. All Rowling/Potter fans know we’re in too deep to get out now, so might as well help keep the collection complete.
The Fashion of Film: How Cinema has Inspired Fashion
By Amber Butchart
Octopus, $39.99
Usually movies try their best to imitate a particular time period through painstaking detail to the fashion of the times. However, probably more often than we realize, the reverse can be true, with movies influencing the fashion of the present. This book explores how films—from classics to cult flicks to pop culture franchises—have been recreated on the runway, which, as was condescendingly explained to us by Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada,” eventually trickles into our humble closets.
Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual History, Updated and Expanded Edition
By DK
DK, $50
If you or someone you know is counting down the days until “Rogue One” hits theaters, try to get your hands on this book now. It’s a colorful, detailed look at the “Star Wars” universe from its inception in the mind of creator George Lucas in the 1960s to the present day, filled with trivia and tidbits about the formation of the franchise all the way to the release of “The Force Awakens.” It’s OK if you skip past the years 1999-2005. No one will blame you.
