Holiday Gifts: Coffee Table Books

ByABC News via logo
December 11, 2002, 9:20 PM

Dec. 12 -- Each year, the bookstores are stocked with coffee table books. Filled with dazzling pictures, the books make perfect holiday gifts. Good Morning America's anchors shares their favorite titles.

Each of the book titles are followed by publishers' information, prices and a brief description from the publishing company.

Robin Roberts

Athlete Photographer: Howard Schatz; Foreword by George Vecsey, Afterword by Ira Berkow Publisher: Harper CollinsPrice: $59.95

The male and female athletes pictured here are pinnacles of physical achievement in sports from table tennis to sumo wrestling; they appear oiled, sweaty and clad in skimpy black briefs and sports bras as they leap, sprint, swing and flex in minimalist surroundings, with only the essential paraphernalia of their game.

One Shot Harris: The Photographs of Charles "Teenie" Harris By Stanley CrouchPublisher: AbramsPrice: $35

From the 1930s through the 1970s, Charles "Teenie" Harris (1908-1998) traversed the alleyways, workplaces, and nightclubs of his native city, camera in hand, to capture the essence of community life for the Pittsburgh Courier. Backstage with Dizzy Gillespie, in the dugout with Jackie Robinson, or on the streets with children of the Hill district, Harris documented every aspect of African-American daily life during and after the civil rights movement.

The Wonder of American Toys, 1920-1950By Charles Dee SharpPublisher: Collectors PressPrice: $49.95

The Wonder of American Toys reflects not only the toys of perhaps the most formative era of American history, but what they meant to the children who played with them, and to the society that produce them.

Charlie Gibson

New York New YorkPhotographer: Richard Berenholtz; Foreword by Kenneth T. Jackson.Publisher: Rizzoli New YorkPrice: $275.00

Most of this deluxe, massive volume showcases breathtaking panoramic photos of New York in all seasons and all its aspects skylines, streetscapes, Times Square, Central Park, landmark buildings, and ornamental details. Each panoramic photograph is reproduced in a double-page spread, resulting in a single magnificent photograph measuring 12 inches tall and more than 36 inches long.