DECEMBER 1 2008
AMERICANWAY 69
ADopp kit or a duffel bagmay seem like the perfect holiday gift for your favorite trav-
elers, but believe us, they already have those things, and they probably don’twant any
more. Sowhat do you buy for that foodiewhowent all theway toSpain for the gambas
al ajillo at that tiny tapas spot?Or for the sports fanwho goes to theSuper Bowl yearly,
nomatterwho’s playing? Shop easy:We’ve uncovered the perfect books, DVDs, andmu-
sic for travelerswho fall into one of the following eight categories.
By JennaSchnuer
Shutterbug
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This traveler spendsmore time
looking through a camera lens
than not and likely has aFlickr Pro
account.
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RickSammon’s
Exploring the
Light:Making
theVeryBest
In-CameraEx-
posures
(W.W.
Norton&Company, $30)
The kindest course of correction
for your friend’s overexposed
shots is a gift-wrapped copy of
professional photographer Rick
Sammon’s beautiful book of global
imagery.
TheBBCNatural
HistoryCollection
FeaturingPlanet
Earth
(BBCVideo/
Warner Home
Video, $200)
Seventeen discs, 33 hours of foot-
age, aworld of places to go. Buy
this for your beloved and you’ll be
anxious to see in person the sights
captured here in stunning high
definition— if you can peel your-
self from theTV, that is.
Gods, Kings
&Demons
(Deutsche
Grammophon,
$17)
Give the gift
of some dramaticmusic— here,
RenéPape sings opera arias— to
accompany your favorite amateur
photographer’s newest trip slide-
show coming soon online or to a
living room near you.
CultureSeeker
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Only thefinest things in life fulfill
thisworldly traveler, who prob-
ably has season tickets to the
symphony.
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Art andLove in
Renaissance Italy
(YaleUniversity
Press, $65)
This beautiful book,
released in conjunc-
tionwith a same-named exhibit at
theMetropolitanMuseum of Art
inNewYork, includesworks from
GiulioRomano, Lorenzo Lotto, and
Titian. To really round out this gift,
throw in plane tickets to see the
works in person. (
museum.org; open throughFebru-
ary 16, 2009)
The Intellectual
Devotional—
ModernCulture:
ReviveYourMind,
CompleteYour
Education, and
ConverseConfidentlywith the
Culturati
(RodalePublishing, $24)
Give the culture vulture in your
life an easy (and fun)way tofill in
some of the gaps in his knowledge.
For each day of the year to come,
there’s a one-page quick lesson in
everything from theThreeStooges
toMayaAngelou.
Jazz Icons: Series
3
box set (Naxos,
$120)
These eight DVDs
are loadedwith
crazy-good jazz con-
certs. SonnyRollins, NinaSimone,
Bill Evans— yeah, they’re all here.
SportsNut
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Whether he’swatching or play-
ing, this travelerwill go to great
lengths for his favorite games and
have afight song as his cell-phone
ringtone.
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NCAABasket-
ball 09
for Xbox
360, PlayStation
3, andPS2 (EA
Sports, $60)
College bands,
DickVitale, BradNessler, the 1972
UCLABruins— this game has
them all.
SportsNight: TheComplete
Series 10thAnniversaryEdition
(Shout! Factory, $70)
We still miss this cult-hit show,
and your favorite sports fan does
too. This anniversary collection
has interviewswith the cool cast,
includingFelicityHuffman (now of
DesperateHousewives
) andPeter
Krause (of
DirtySexyMoney
).
MenwithBalls:
TheProfessional
Athlete’sHandbook
(Little, Brown and
Company, $17)
Nomatter his grand
illusions, your pal isn’t young
enough, or talented enough, to
playwith the big leaguers. Now
he can console himself by laughing
at them, thanks to this politically
incorrect satire of the life of a pro
athlete.
Greenie
---------------------------------------------
This responsible voyager seeks
nature-friendly alternatives for
travel and likely purchases carbon
offsets tominimize the effect of
his trips.
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GreasyRider: Two
Dudes, One Fry-Oil-
PoweredCar, and
aCross-Country
Search for aGreen-
er Future
(Algonquin
Books, $16)
It’s easier to read about collecting
restaurant grease fromdumpsters
to fuel your car than it is to do it.
This bookwill give even the green-
est commuter a goodgiggle as he
opts for aPrius instead.
Disappearing
Destinations: 37
Places inPeril and
What CanBeDone
toHelpSaveThem
(Vintage, $16)
This guide to endangered areas
isn’t just about the seeing, sighing,
and sayinggoodbye. It’s about
taking action.We like that. Your
gifteewill too.
Up theYangtze
(Zeitgeist Films,
$30)
Itwon’t be the
cheeriest holiday
gift, but this
documentary about thewaysman
manipulates nature
will
be the
most discussed.
