My favorite holiday present (discovered under the tree): Books Do Furnish a Room, by self-confessed bibliophile Leslie Geddes-Brown. With chapters on Living with Books, Working with Books, and Designing for Books, the tome covers every aspect of books in the home; "In my view, there should be books in every room of the house, with the possible exception of the larder," Geddes-Brown says.

Above: Books Do Furnish a Room; $26.37 at Amazon.