There’s never a year where I am not buying a pile of books for Christmas, and this list includes the latest from local authors as well as ones I go back to year after year for gifts. 

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TRIBECA | FOUR DECADES IN PICTURES
BY CARL GLASSMAN
Longtime Tribecan Carl Glassman has published a book of historic pictures of the neighborhood over — as the title says — the past four decades. He culled through thousands and thousands of digital images and negatives, selecting 160 that run in chronological order staring in 1980, long before he started publishing the Tribeca Trib. The book is an amazing look back on the streets and people of the neighborhood, as well as the seismic events that took place here in the past years. (Order it direct from Carl’s website.) Plus it was printed locally on Varick by The Thomas Group.

HOSTILE CLIMATE
BY JON PEPPER
Local author Jon Pepper has a new book out — and as always, the setting is Downtown. He wrote when he saw my mention of the New York County Courthouse. “I researched 60 Centre Street for the trial in my latest book, ‘Hostile Climate, which released Tuesday. It’s the story of an ambitious prosecutor who tries the chair of the Crowe Power Company over climate change, which leads to an unexpected crisis,” he wrote. “I strolled into the courthouse one day and checked out the courtrooms on the third floor so I could describe the settings. I found a clerk alone in a courtroom who offered great insights into how things work over there. In addition, Foley Square is the scene of protests, and a march rolls down Nassau Street to Crowe Power HQ on Broad Street. Other scenes include the FDR, Locanda Verde, and O’Hara’s Pub.”

THE RISING: THE TWENTY-YEAR BATTLE TO REBUILD THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
BY LARRY SILVERSTEIN
At 93, Larry Silverstein is still producing. This latest effort is a lookback on the 20+ years it took to rebuild the World Trade Center — he had just singed a 99-year lease weeks before 9/11. From the press release: “In these pages, Silverstein reveals the government ineptitude, bureaucratic inefficiencies, construction overruns, inflated budgets—all funded by public money—that had, for a time, consigned Ground Zero to nothing more than the backdrop for carefully staged public events, while Silverstein wanted to rebuild as quickly and efficiently as possible…We’re taken into backroom negotiations, off-the record discussions, and shown all the in-fighting that nearly ground the project to a halt more than once.” Plus there are amazing photos from Joe Woolhead, the official photographer for the World Trade Center.

ONE THOUSAND VINES
BY PASCALINE LEPELTIER
Chambers sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier’s book One Thousand Vines (the English version of Mille Vignes) offers a deep dive into the rich stories behind the vines that shape the world of wine. Through 1000 Vines, Pascaline takes readers on a journey through the terroirs, people and wines that define the global landscape of viticulture. For wine lovers and industry professionals alike.

POCKET 8S
BY AMY SEWELL
Longtime Tribecan and documentary filmmaker (she wrote and produced “Mad Hot Ballroom”) Amy Sewell released a novel this year: a psychological thriller about a lone gambler — a woman named Dutch — who is also in the risky business of euthanizing the terminally ill. When she is called home by her childhood friend for her services, she faces the toughest job of her career, forcing her to revisit and reckon with a messy past. Amy pulled from real life in this case — her mother-in-law, who died in 2016, was a euthanasia advocate and got her thinking about the subject; Amy and her husband are regular poker players, as is Dutch. Order it here. 

IN MOMMY’S BELLY
BY RYAN SOBECK
Tribecan Ryan Sobeck, whose day job is in wealth management at Goldman, has for years exercised his creative side with songwriting and fiction writing. (He publishes as jugo verde on Spotify and has been crafting a historical fiction novel that takes place in late 1800s NYC called “Out of Control.”.) But when his wife became pregnant, he found yet another outlet. The pregnancy apps the pair were using would track the size of a fetus by comparing it to fruit and vegetables — and he couldn’t get the images out of his head. It seemed a book was the obvious next step.  Aly Miller, an illustrated map maker and food illustrator. Then the pieces for “In Mommy’s Belly” came together quickly.

FREAKS, GLEEKS & DAWSON’S CREEK
BY THEA GLASSMAN
Longtime Tribecan and entertainment journalist Thea Glassman — yes, Carl’s daughter — takes readers behind the scenes of seven of the most culturally significant TV series of the last three decades, drawing on dozens of new interviews with showrunners, cast, crewmembers, and more. These shows not only launched the careers of such superstars as Will Smith, Michael B. Jordan, Claire Danes and Seth Rogen, but they also took young people seriously, proving that teen TV could be smart, revolutionary, and “important.” For your fave TV buff, it includes the untold stories of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, My So-Called Life, Dawson’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks, The O.C., Friday Night Lights, and Glee.

MAMAN THE COOKBOOK
Local residents Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte have compiled their sweet and savory recipes into their first ever cookbook, leaving spaces for you to make the recipes your own. Read more about it here and order it here.

THE WASHINGTON MARKET PARK COLORING BOOK
The Friends of Washington Market Park enlisted a Brooklyn illustrator to highlight the special features and creatures of the park for this truly local, 31-page coloring book. You can color in or out of the lines of the gazebo, the water tower and of course the tulips. Order on Amazon here.

THE DEAD RABBIT
The noted bar and restaurant in the Financial District has multiple publications:
Mixology & Mayhem: Possibly one of the more creative books about drinking, it combines tall tales, graphic novel-type illustrations AND drink recipes from the founders. (This is really art)
Drinks Manual: Recipes, tips and insights from the famed mixologists. (This is my go-to holiday house gift, along with a shaker or shot glass)
Comic Book Menu Series: Five comic books follow the exploits of the rabbit himself, and of course there are cocktails along the way.
(PS: their webstore is loaded with good merch.)

HOW TO DRESS AN EGG by Houseman’s Ned Baldwin and Peter Kaminsky
Ruth Reichl says: “This book will make you hungry and happy. It will send you into the kitchen again and again!” I say it’s great looking, includes the fab drawings from Gerardo Blumenkrantz, and makes a great gift.