Coffee Table Books For A Cozy Winter's Night

My dad inadvertently uttered what may be the classic response to receiving an ill-chosen holiday gift: "Oh, it's just what I always wanted," he lied one Christmas upon unwrapping a present. Then, not quite catching himself in time, he added: "What is it?"

If you're already feeling a bit paranoid about choosing gifts this year, why not consider a coffee-table book? It's a safe choice in that there's one for just about every interest and age group. My dad, a jazz fan, would no doubt be delighted to receive The Blue Note Years: The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff (Rizzoli, $65). It's full of beautiful, pensive portraits of Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, and many others taken from 1941 to 1965 by a former professional photographer who was an executive with the pioneering Blue Note label.