Does anybody place cups of coffee on their coffee tables anymore? We think big books are more likely to end up there, so we want to suggest a few that are suitable for holiday gift-giving. These and other big-book titles that we'll name in the coming weeks are spectacular, filled with first-rate photos and illustrations, and informative text.

• "Four Seasons of Yosemite" by Mark Boster (Time Capsule, $34.95, 128 pages): This is the next-best thing to being there. Boster, an award-winning Los Angeles Times photographer, has captured the national park in its seasonal glories. One of the most startling pictures is a nighttime view of Yosemite Falls from Sentinel Meadow, with a blue-velvet sky specked with stars. Included is a CD, "Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven," narrated by Robert Redford.

• "The World's Must-See Places" by staff editors (DK Travel, $25, 264 pages): This global tour takes in 100 of the Earth's most dramatic castles, cathedrals, pyramids and landmarks, from ancient to modern. The "3-D cutaway artwork" allows for peeks inside the structures. Included is the Golden Gate Bridge.

• "National Geographic History Book: An Interactive Journey" by Marcus Cowper (National Geographic, $40, 184 pages): We start at "The Beginnings of Man" and end with "The Planet in Crisis." In between are explorers, royalty, wars, eras, empires and legendary leaders. Packets of "Facsimile Items" offer dozens of real-looking historical documents such as handwritten letters, diary entries, art and the like. Included are the blueprints for the Titanic, and a "Wanted" poster for John Wilkes Booth.

• "Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis" by David Wills and Stephen Schmidt (It Books, $40, 320 pages): Candid and posed shots follow the arc of her career, accentuated with quotes about the woman and the myth. Artist Franz Kline: "She looked like, if you bit her, milk and honey would flow from her." Photographer Richard Avedon: "There was no such person as Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe was an invention of hers."

Intrigue and accuracy

Prolific romance writer Amanda Scott of Folsom is a meticulous researcher known for her historical and geographic accuracy. The second entry in her "Scottish Knights" trilogy is "Highland Hero" (Forever, $7.99, 400 pages), which she described on the phone the other day:

"The hero is Scotland's most famous archer, Sir Ivor, who has been asked by the king of Scots to accompany his young son and heir on a cross-country trip to safety. Meanwhile, the queen's niece is escaping an arranged marriage, so disguises herself and goes on the adventure, too."

A lost tale found

Whenever Strand magazine managing editor Andrew Gulli gives a call, it's with an interesting tale. That's because he has a knack for coming across lost short stories by famous authors, such as Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett and Graham Greene. This one involves prolific storyteller Cornell "Rear Window" Woolrich (1903-1968):

"A representative of the Woolrich estate called and said he had a Woolrich story that had been lost since it was first published in a small pulp magazine in 1938. It was never anthologized. I read it and it's fantastic. A card sharp in Florida cons a young man out of his money, and the boy kills himself. That sparks a series of events when a detective gets involved."

Look for the story in the Holiday Issue of Strand, $6.95, at Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. To subscribe to the quarterly: (800) 300-6652 or www.strandmag.com.

Gulli and his sister, Lamia Gulli, are co-editors of "No Rest For the Dead," a serial by 26 mystery writers (Touchstone, $24.99, 272 pages).

Relationships explored

These two nonfiction titles seem a likely pair:

• "31 Dates in 31 Days" by Tamara Duricka Johnson (Seal Press, $17, 336 pages): Tired of jerks, the author vows on her 31st birthday to go out with a new man every night for 30 nights – no second dates! – and choose one of them for Date No. 31. Do you think complications arose?

• "MWF Seeking BFF" by Rachel Bertsche (Ballantine, $15, 384 pages): The author (Married White Female) found herself friendless in a new city, so went in search of a Best Friend Forever. The strategy: Go on 52 "girl dates" over a year, while investigating "the latest social research on the importance of friendship."

More 'Rumpole'

For those who missed the late John Mortimer's delightfully humorous stories of London barrister Horace Rumpole, there's a second chance with "Forever Rumpole" (Viking, $30, 528 pages). It contains 14 previously published Rumpole adventures and "a fragment of a new story."

Forty-two episodes of "Rumpole of the Bailey" starring Leo McKern aired on PBS from 1978 to 1992.

'Hollows' survival guide

Urban fantasist Kim Harrison has made a star out of detective-witch Rachel Morgan, her favorite character in the nine- title "Hollows" series.

For fans who are really into Harrison's alternate world that exists in Cincinnati (Cincinnati?) is "The Hollows Insider" (Harper, $26, 320 pages). It's a "survival guide" to Inderland, containing "character profiles, maps, spells, charms, secret correspondence and more."

Harrison appeared for the Bee Book Club in March to a standing-room-only crowd.

LET US KNOW

If you have information on author appearances, book sales, writing seminars, writers club meetings or other book-related special events, email it to bookmarks@sacbee.com at least two weeks before the event. To read the online calendar, go to www.sacbee.com/books. Questions? Call The Bee's Allen Pierleoni, (916) 321-1128.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

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The Bee's Allen Pierleoni can be reached at (916) 321-1128 or apierleoni@sacbee.com. Contact him with news of coming literary events that are open to the public.

• Read more articles by Allen Pierleoni