Coffee-table books

Art Nouveau

Norbert Wolf

Prestel, $75

The Art Nouveau movement covered it all — decorative arts, architecture, fashion, dance, advertising and more — and this book seeks to restore the movement’s prominence in the discussion of modern art.

The Art of the Adventures of Tintin

Chris Guise

Harper Design, $39.99

An exploration of how — using early concept drawings, models and final stills from the Steven Spielberg film — the film evolved from the original Hergé books.

Beyond Words

200 Years of Illustrated Diaries

Susan Snyder

Heyday, $45

A varied collection of excerpts taken from 50 illustrated diaries, including entries by 18th century Spanish explorer Pedro Font and 20th century environmentalist David Brower.

The Bush Legacy

Their Story in Photographs

David Elliott Cohen

Sterling, $24.95

With a combination of well-known and rare images, this book chronicles the history of one of America’s great political families.

Carlton Watkins

The Complete Mammoth Photographs

Weston Naef and Christin Hult-Lewis

Getty Publications, $195

Views of San Francisco, Yosemite and the Pacific Coast highlight this collection of Carlton Watkins “mammoth” (18-by-22-inch) glass-plate negatives, taken between 1858 and 1891.

Chicks With Guns

Lindsay McCrum

Vendome Press, $45

A cultural study, through photographic portraits and fashion, of female gun owners in America.

Christ to Coke

How an Image Becomes Iconic

Martin Kemp

Oxford University Press, $34.95

Art historian Martin Kemp explores 11 universally recognized images and explains how they became iconic.

Deceptive Beauties

The World of Wild Orchids

University of Chicago Press, $45

A study of how orchids, called the “king of fragrant plants” by Confucius, survive and thrive in the harshest of environments.

Dogs Make Us Human

A Global Family Album

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Art Wolfe

Bloomsbury, $30

Wildlife photographer Wolfe chose 100 photographs of dogs from around the world, and Masson supplies the observations to consider the special relationship between man and dog.

The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

Noel Daniel

Taschen, $39.99

Filled with beautiful, child-friendly illustrations, including previously published works from the 1820s to the 1950s, this book revisits the infamous brothers’ twisted tales.

Four Seasons of Yosemite

A Photographer’s Journey

Mark Boster

Time Capsule Press, $34.95

The award-winning Los Angeles Times photographer captures the four seasons in Yosemite National Park with a book that also includes a DVD documentary, “Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven,” narrated by Robert Redford.

From Uncertain to Blue

Photographs

Keith Carter

University of Texas Press, $55

Keith Carter’s classic photographic look at small-town life in America is reenvisioned along with a new essay, contact sheets and an amplified travel journal.

From Yesterday to Today

Six Decades of America’s Favorite Morning Show

Stephen Battaglio

Running Press, $30

The idea was to make it a “national newspaper of the air,” and for nearly 60 years NBC’s “Today” show has remained a leader in early-morning television. Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel are among those who reflect on the show’s success.

George Harrison

Living in the Material World

Olivia Harrison, edited by Mark Holborn

Abrams, $40

The artist’s evolution from Beatle to spiritual seeker in photos — with his family, with other musicians, onstage, in India.

Greene & Greene

Developing a California Architecture

Bruce Smith

Gibbs Smith, $50

The heart of this book traces the early years of the Greene brothers’ partnership and the development of their signature style.

Harry Potter

Page to Screen — the Complete Filmmaking Journey

Bob McCabe

HarperCollins, $75

A behind-the-scenes look at the artistry and filmmaking techniques used to bring J.K. Rowling’s books to the big screen.

House of Cash

The Life, Legacy and Archives of the Man in Black

John Carter Cash

Insight Editions, $39.95

John Carter offers a portrait of his father, Johnny Cash, in a book that gathers previously unpublished photographs, lyrics and archival material.

The House That Sam Built

Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945-1985

Edited by Harold B. Nelson

Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, $39.95

A leading figure in the postwar American studio furniture movement, Sam Maloof was also an enthusiastic collector of arts and crafts, and this book serves as a companion to an exhibiton at the Huntington of Maloof’s work.

I Love Lucy

A Celebration of All Things LucyInside the World of Television’s First Great Sitcom

Elisabeth Edwards

Running Press, $30

Rare backstage photos from the stars’ personal collections help illustrate new stories on the making of “I Love Lucy” and its unparalleled success in television history.

Industrial Light & Magic

The Art of Innovation

Pamela Glintenkamp

Abrams, $50

An illustrated oral history of the visual effects company founded by George Lucas that has won multiple Oscars since its founding in 1975.

Lest We Forget

Masterpieces of Patriotic Jewelry and Military Decorations

Judith Price

Premiere Previews, $29.95

Historic moments in military history commemorated by patriotic jewelry and decorations.

Light in the Desert

Photographs From the Monastery of Christ in the Desert

Tony O’Brien

Museum of New Mexico Press, $50

After being imprisoned in Afghanistan while on assignment in 1989, photographer Tony O’Brien found solace at the Benedictine monastery in New Mexico. He returned years later to do a story and became a practicing member of the community.

Living in a Modern Way

California Design, 1930-1965

Edited by Wendy Kaplan

MIT Press, $60

One of the first comprehensive examinations of California’s Midcentury modern design, this book traces its origins to 1930s European emigrés including Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler and Kem Weber.

The Louvre

All the Paintings

Erich Lessing and Vincent Pomarède

Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, $75

All 3,022 paintings on display in the permanent painting collection of the Louvre are beautifully presented in full color. Includes a DVD.

The Male Nudes

George Platt Lynes

Rizzoli, $60

A collection of male nude photographs, many never before in print, from an important fashion photographer from the 1930s and 1940s.

Marilyn: Intimate Exposures

Susan Bernard

Sterling, $35

Bruno Bernard, known as Bernard of Hollywood, photographed Marilyn Monroe, and is perhaps best known for his picture of her as she holds down her wind-blown skirt in the movie “The Seven Year Itch.”

Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis

David Wills and Stephen Schmidt

It Books, $40

This portfolio of images includes photographs of Marilyn Monroe, some previously unpublished, by Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Elliott Erwitt and Philippe Halsman.

Medal of Honor

Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty

Photographs by Nick del Calzo, text by Peter Collier

Artisan, $45 (special commemorative edition $100)

A compilation of stories and photos of soldiers who were given this special honor, which was established by Lincoln 150 years ago.

Mountain

Sandy Hill

Rizzoli, $85

Mountaineer Sandy Hill presents an array of images of some of the world’s highest places photographed by Galen Rowell, Peter Beard and Ansel Adams, among others.

The New Atlas of World History

Global Events at a Glance

John Haywood

Princeton University Press, $49.50

The first historical atlas to present global history in a series of uniform world maps, bringing easy comparisons of different regions and periods into full focus.

New York in Color

Bob Shamis

Abrams, $50

Some of the best color photography of the city that never sleeps by Andre Kertesz, William Klein, Helen Leavitt and Joel Meyerowitz.

Nostalgia in Vogue, 2000-2010

Edited by Eve MacSweeney

Rizzoli, $55

The magazine’s popular coming-of-age-memoir columns are presented here with the great photography that accompanied them.

Now Dig This

Art & Black Los Angeles 1960-1980

Prestel, $60

The companion book to a groundbreaking exhibition documenting the pioneering work of a group of black artists is part of Pacific Standard Time, an initiative of the Getty.

Pantone

The 20th Century in Color

Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker

Chronicle Books, $40

The worldwide color authority offers a retrospective of 100 transformative years in the creation of color.

Proof

The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California

Edited by Leah Lehmbeck

Getty Publications in Association with the Norton Simon Museum, $60

An exploration of the rise of printmaking in Southern California and its legacy on postwar American art.

The Oprah Winfrey Show

Reflections on an American Legacy

Deborah Davis With a foreword by Maya Angelou

Abrams, $50

A look at the long-running TV program and its impact, with essays and tributes from Maya Angelou, Bono, Ellen DeGeneres, Toni Morrison and John Travolta.

Pacific Standard Time

Los Angeles Art, 1945-1980

Edited by Rebecca Peabody et al.

Getty Publications, $59.95

Postwar American art is viewed through the Southern California prism in this richly illustrated book.

Pilgrimage

Annie Liebovitz

Random House, $50

Photos Liebovitz took when she wasn’t on assignment — images of Emily Dickinson’s house in Amherst, Mass., for instance, and of the Yosemite Valley.

Richard Diebenkorn

The Ocean Park Series

Sarah C. Bancroft

Prestel, $65

Seminal artwork from one of California’s best-known artists is gathered here in this beautifully reproduced exhibition catalog.

Southern California Coastal Mountains to the Sea

A Celebration of Open Space on the Historic Irvine Ranch

David R. Stoecklein

Irvine Co., $47.50

Vivid images of the lands belonging to Irvine Ranch that have been given permanent designation as “open space” in the heart of densely populated Southern California,.

Star Trek

Vault40 Years From the Archives

Scott Tipton

Abrams, $40

Covering all six “Star Trek” television series and the 10 original feature films, “Star Trek: Vault” highlights the philosophical principles that underscore the franchise.

Tattoo World

Marisa Kakoulas and Michael Kaplan

Abrams, $35

Designs from around the world highlight this compilation of work from 125 of the most influential tattoo artists working today.

Temples of Cambodia

The Heart of Angkor

Photographs by Barry Brukoff, text by Helen Ibbitson Jessup

Vendome Press, $65

An intimate look at some of the most complex, imposing architectural creations in the world.

Tibet

Culture on the Edge

Phil Borges

Rizzoli, $45

An examination of Tibet through the prism of dramatic development, climate change and the deep devotion of its people.

Traveling the Silk Road

Ancient Pathway to the Modern World

Mark Norell, Denise Patry Leidy and the American Museum of Natural History

With Laura Ross

Sterling Signature, $40

Man’s early attempts at globalization are examined through the history of the Silk Road with its major stops in China, Uzbekistan and Iraq.

The Worlds of Hunt Slonem

Dominique Nahas

Vendome Press, $90

The work of the onetime enfant terrible of the art world, Hunt Slonem’s work depicts both natural subjects and portraits using multiplicity as a governing principle.