Book 'em

This holiday season, don’t cop out and get a gift card – give your loved ones one of these terrific tomes:

Scouts in Bondage — This amusing collection highlights bizarre books from the early 20th century, like How to Recognize Leprosy and Cookery for the Middle Classes.

The Book of General Ignorance — Packed with trivia (Honolulu is the world’s largest city – but 72% of it is underwater), Ignorance is the perfect gift for the smarty-pants in your family.

The Book of Vice — A Harvard grad shares his experiences exploring society’s seedy side (nudie bars! swinger’s clubs!) in this quirky memoir.

Alison Jackson Confidential — Photographer Alison Jackson snaps celebrity lookalikes in compromising positions, such as “Britney Spears” puking.

The Hanna-Barbera Treasury — A must-have for cartoon and kitsch fans, this tome celebrates the studio responsible for The Flintstones.

Mazel Tov: Celebrities’ Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories — Jewish stars share stories from their ceremonies in this (belated) Hannukah gift. Says Jeremy Piven: “I had…what was bordering on a mullet.”

Momma Loves Her Some Eggnog — Vintage photos are paired with pithy sayings, like “I’ll be home for Christmas (and in therapy by New Year’s).” Amen to that.

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