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Time America: An Illustrated History (Time Books, $39.95, 266 pages). An overview of American History with photos, drawings, post cards and a bit of writing. Squishing all of America's history into so few pages teases the reader. World War II, for instance, is covered in eight pages.

1776: The Illustrated Edition by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, $65, 256 pages) This handsome slipcased version includes an excerpt from the original as well as numerous drawings and illustrations. The text is interleaved with envelopes containing reproductions of handwritten letters and documents.

100 Days in Photographs: Pivotal Events that Changed the World by Nick Yapp (National Geographic, $35, 320 pages). This collection is a testament to the power of photography to evoke a single, pivotal moment in history. With notes on each event itself and how the image was captured.

Doo Wop: The Music, the Times, the Era by "Cousin Brucie" Morrow (Sterling, $24.95, 352 pages). Put the Drifters on the turntable and heat up a TV dinner, then tuck into this retro romp through the land of finned cars and Beach Blanket Bingo.

Science & Nature

Cool Stuff 2.0 and How It Works (DK, $24.99, 256 pages). For antsy guests cooling their heels in your parlor comes a book full of quick-hit summaries of how stuff -- high-tech toilet, floating bed, HDTV -- works. As a bonus, it provides cocktail chatter for later. Those with truly short attention spans can just pick up the book and flip the 3D cover back and forth.

The New Encyclopedia of Snakes by Chris Mattison (Princeton University Press, $35, 272 pages). Not for the ophiophobic, this text -- with its incredible close-ups of iridescent scales and vertical-slit eyes and gaping pink-lined jaws -- details the where, why and how of snakes' lives.

Barn Building by Jon Radojkovic (Firefly, $35, 192 pages). A thorough study of the barns of North America, arranged by style, with photographs of whole barns and details as well as illustrations of construction techniques.

Body: The Complete Human (National Geographic, $40, 416 pages). A thorough analysis of the workings of the human body, from initial cell division and development through aging, with chapters on each of the body's major systems. Tastefully illustrated with photographs and graphics, it is suitable for the whole family, even those given to the vapors at the mere mention of bodily fluids.

The Knowledge Book: Everything You Need to Know to Get By in the 21st Century (National Geographic, $35, 512 pages). A little bit about a lot of things, arranged in categories: The Blue Planet, Discoveries and Inventions, Social Life, Mind and Soul, The Arts and Modern Life. Somebody's bound to learn something from it.

Bird: The Definitive Guide by Audubon (DK, $50, 512 pages). The birder on your list will be thrilled with the exhaustive consideration of birds, including notes on the best bird-watching sites. Includes a audio CD of bird songs.

Armchair Travel

Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips (National Geographic, $40, 400 pages). With its gorgeous photos -- which run a bit smaller than in the magazine -- this is tidier than having a pile of travel brochures and provides an easier way to navigate dream spots than the Web -- but with 500 journeys covered in these pages, you'll want to go to the Internet for details.

The Great Wall: From Beginning to End by Michael Yamashita and William Lindesay (Sterling, $29.95, 176 pages). This stunning book, the product of a yearlong exploration, is something of a journal in words and gorgeous pictures by National Geographic photographer Yamashita, detailing the wall itself as well as the landscape and the people who live near the wall.

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