GMA Anchor Picks: Year's Best Coffee Table Books
Diane, Sam, Robin and Chris share their favorite gift books of the year.
Dec. 13, 2007 — -- Each holiday season, the "Good Morning America" anchors recommend some of their favorite coffee table books of the year. Below are this year's picks.
"Alive: The Living Breathing Human Body Book"
Richard Walker, an award-winning science writer, provides an eye-opening photos and interactive features that brings the human body alive for kids.
Published by DK Publishing
Price: $15 - $25 at Amazon.com
"The Chronicles of Narnia"
Robert Sabuda, a so-called "paper engineer," retells the C.S. Lewis classic in a gorgeous pop-up book. Kids will feel like they're watching a 3-D movie.
Published by HarperCollinsPrice: $29.99
"Lincoln: The Presidential Archives"
Author Chuck Wills outlines Abraham Lincoln's life and political career in this book. The text is interspersed with hundreds of photographs and shots of newspaper headlines and front pages. What sets the book apart is facsimile reproductions of original documents.
Published by DK Publishing
Price: $40
"Antarctica: The Global Warning"
This book, written and photographed by Stewart Copeland, with a foreward by Mikhail Gorbachev and preface by Leonard DiCaprio, shows stunning images of Antarctica, but a closer look reveals damage to the area and the animals.
Published by Earth Aware Editions
Price: $55.00 (proceeds go to Global Green)
"Blue Planet Run"
Created by Rick Smolan and Kennifer Erwitt, with a foreword by Robert Redford and introduction by Fred Pearce. The book is filled with facts and figures about the lack of clean drinking water around the planet, as well as photographs and essays by journalists. The authors also compiled the "Day in the Life" and "America 24/7" series.
Published by Earth Aware Editions
Price: $45 (100 percent of royalties from the book will be used to provide clean drinking water to people around the world)
"Global Faces: 500 Photograhs From 7 Continents"
Michael Clinton, a Hearst Magazines executive, has documented his 35 years of worldwide travel in three books: "Wonderlust: 100 Countries," "Global Snaps" and now "Global Faces," which he considers the second in his "Global" series. The book includes human, statuary (ancient figures, toys, ads, etc.) or animal "faces." The book, separated by continent, strikes me as something good for a child as well as an adult.
Published by Glitterati Inc.
Price: $40
This book highlights the extraordinary differences of the coast in small fishing villages, cities and swanky beaches, with photographs by Jake Rajs and a forward by Walter Cronkite. Roberts chose this book because of her attachment to coastal communities, like her hometown of Pass Christian, Miss.
Published by Rizzoli
Price: $195
"Tony Bennett in the Studio: A Life of Art and Music"
Go behind the scenes with legendary singer Tony Bennett, who is also an accomplished painter. Robert Sullivan, Mitch Albom and Mario Cuomo provide commentary.
Sterling Publishing
List price: $400 (but can be found for less online)
"Eyes Over Africa"
Michael Poliza and friend Stefan Breuer took a helicopter journey across Africa, photographing 19 countries. Filled with alluring and often surprising images.
Published by Te Neues Publishing Company
List Price: $125
The motorcycle maker Jesse James (who is married to actress Sandra Bullock) makes custom bikes from the ground up. This book contains 115 black-and-white photos by Nathaniel Welch of James and his crew, their tools, their cycles and their tattoos.
Published by Powerhouse Books
Price: $60
"Legends of the Open Road: The History, Technology and Future of Automobile Design"
Nearly 1,000 color and black-and-white illustrations, book is an in-depth look at the design process and the evolution of the automobile from the first self-propelled vehicle to the future of green cars.
Published by Rizzoli
Price: $100
"Time America: An Illustrated History"
Time's first hardcover large-size collection features more than 500 photos, paintings and illustrations from the Time and Life magazine archives as well as the Library of Congress, state and regional historical societies and rarely-seen private collections. Spans from from 1492 to today.
Published by Time Inc. Home Entertainment
Price: $29.95
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