12 Gorgeous Books to Gift This Holiday Season
From pages filled with breathtaking landscapes that inspire travel to chapters full of artful interiors and glamorous jewelry designs
Few moments delight more than unwrapping a gift that feels chosen with real intention. When shopping for someone who seems impossible to surprise, a beautifully made book is often the perfect choice. These curated Phaidon titles span interests for everyone on your list, from the adventurous traveler and the art history buff to the jewelry lover and floral aficionado.
1. Private Aspen: Modernism in the Mountains
Written by Helen Thompson with photographs by David Marlow, this title offers a privileged view of the mountainous landscapes and cultural vitality that distinguish Aspen from other resort destinations. Readers journey through the rugged Rockies to meet the owners and designers of 18 elegant contemporary homes embedded into the steep terrain, offering a captivating glimpse into the famed Colorado resort town’s private world.
2. The American Art Book
This revised and updated edition from Phaidon’s editors surveys 500 influential American artists across three centuries. From the earliest colonial portraitists to today’s contemporary innovators, each page traces how creative expression shaped the nation’s cultural narrative. Featured artists include Ansel Adams, Josef Albers, Ruth Asawa, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alex Katz, and Andy Warhol, presenting a wide view of American artistic legacy.
3. Annie Leibovitz: Women
Annie Leibovitz’s landmark collection of portraits of women returns to print with essays by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Susan Sontag, and Gloria Steinem. The volume features more than 250 images spanning artists, astronauts, CEOs, philanthropists, socialites, and scientists, capturing a broad spectrum of achievement. Stunning color and black-and-white photographs portray an international group of women shaping contemporary culture, all rendered in Leibovitz’s unmistakable style.
4. The Inn Crowd: Artistic Getaways and the Modern Innkeepers Who Crafted Them
Written and photographed by Jackie Caradonio with a foreword by Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker, this book gathers a vivid selection of inns shaped by thoughtful, highly personal environments. Caradonio introduces the innkeepers who created them and reveals the character that defines each retreat. Readers travel through 20 welcoming properties across the Northeast and step inside as temporary guests, guided by Caradonio’s warm, observant eye.
5. Tom Kundig: Complete Houses
This comprehensive volume brings together all 462 residential projects by celebrated architect Tom Kundig. It features 38 standout works supported by original interviews, behind-the-scenes accounts, and hand-drawn sketches that illuminate his creative approach. The book offers a close view of how Kundig shapes each house, from early concept to final form.
6. Mid-Century Modern Designers
Dominic Bradbury celebrates the pioneers who shaped the mid-century era with this new volume. He studies the qualities that defined the period and continue to influence creative work today, tracing how its language moved from studios into contemporary production. Bradbury examines furniture, glassware, ceramics, and textiles that now return to the market, offering a thoughtful view of an enduring movement.
7. 1,000 Design Classics
Journey through the most innovative, iconic, and influential products ever designed from 1663 through the present day. Originally part of the three-volume Phaidon Design Classics, this book dials in further to present 1,000 of the world’s greatest objects, ranging from everyday items by anonymous creators to lauded pieces by household names including Charles and Ray Eames, Dieter Rams, and Florence Knoll.
8. The Jewelry Book
Featuring more than 300 influential names from the past two centuries, this volume explores the designers, creative houses, icons, collectors, and other figures who shaped the world of jewelry. An international panel of experts contributes insight that grounds each profile in deep knowledge, accompanied by rich visuals that reveal the artistry emblematic of the field.
9. Ballroom Marfa: The First 20 Years
Ballroom Marfa marks its 20th anniversary with a book that gathers essays and firsthand accounts from artists and performers such as Terry Allen, Mel Chin, and others who helped shape the institution’s story. Their voices trace the evolution of a West Texas landmark known for ambitious projects and an adventurous spirit. The chapters revisit defining moments that include Takashi Murakami and Elmgreen & Dragset’s Prada Marfa installation along with unforgettable performances by Sonic Youth and John Waters, creating a vivid portrait of the museum’s first two decades.
10. Emily Thompson Flowers
Written by Emily Thompson with a foreword by Shane Connolly and an introduction by Nancy Hass, this book is a gorgeous study in floral innovation. Thompson, recognized for her unique and dramatic artistry, gathers highlights from 15 years of work and reveals how she shapes arrangements with unconventional natural materials that illustrate her singular vision.
11. David Kleinberg: Interiors
With a foreword by Thom Browne and Andrew Bolton, David Kleinberg’s latest title invites readers inside eleven recent projects across the U.S. and Europe that reflect his distinctive mix of antiques, art, and finely crafted details. Kleinberg shapes each environment around the personalities who inhabit them, creating an intimate look at individual rooms with presence that effortlessly balance history, comfort, and modernity.
12. Making Space: Interior Design by Women
Jane Hall surveys the work of 250 groundbreaking women and charts a vital lineage that spans centuries of creative practice. She highlights figures who advanced the field in powerful ways and pushed their influence far beyond domestic settings. The book brings long-overdue attention to their achievements and affirms their role alongside male counterparts in shaping the built world.