The gift of words

Beautiful books to solve your Christmas shopping crises

Wild Light by Angela Harding (Little Brown, £25)

Gifted printmaker Angela Harding shares 100 illustrations of the natural world that surrounds her, whether near her home in the Rutland countryside or from travels on her boat. Inspired by changes in the light during the course of day and night, each beautifully rendered print or drawing opens a little window onto her world, from dawn through her bedroom window to a night walk in Suffolk.

A coffee-table book to treasure, Wild Light is also a fascinating insight into Angela’s artistic techniques.

What Writers Read edited by Pandora Sykes (Bloomsbury, £12.99)

In this small hardback, 35 writers reveal their favourite reads. Marian Keyes shares her love of Cold Comfort Farm, Nick Hornby tells us why Emil And The Detectives inspired him, and William Boyd explains how Catch-22 showed him the power of fiction.

All profits from sales of the book will go to the National Literacy Trust to help spread a love of reading.

Days Like These by Brian Bilston

(Pan Macmillan, £16.99)

Brian Bilston has produced a poem for every day of the year, each theme reflecting a significant anniversary.

Groundhog Day is on 2 February, while the eruption of Vesuvius on 24 October inspires I Still Survive, seen from a victim’s point of view and set to the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s hit.

Queen Elizabeth II by David Souden (BBC Books, £22)

Drawing on the BBC’S archive of photos and recordings, this collection of images span Queen Elizabeth II’S life.

From her birth in 1929 to her first radio broadcast during the Second World War, her coronation and the Platinum Jubilee, royal devotees will relish the chance to relive milestones in her life.

The Art Of Gifting Naturally by Angela Maynard (Hardie Grant, £16.99)

A handmade gift always feels more personal, and with this guide you can learn to make your own.

Angela Maynard reveals how to make soap, lip balm, candles and a floral wall hanging with an emphasis on sustainability, and offers advice on wrapping them beautifully too.

Game On by Marley Byng (Hardie Grant, £12)

Make your celebrations go with a bang with this collection of parlour games, including ice breakers, dinner party, holiday and evening games.

Try the Just A Minute-based Speech, Speech!, or attempt to guess the meaning of an obscure word from the dictionary with Fictionary.

Apollo Remastered by Andy Saunders (Particular Books, £60)

For 50 years, the original NASA film of the Apollo missions has been in a freezer vault, and all the images we’ve seen of the moon landings were taken from a lower-quality copy.

Now, with digital scanning and image restoration, this book shows us top-quality atmospheric images of 17 space missions.

The Story Of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel (Hutchinson Heinemann, £30)

Frustrated by the lack of women artists in museums, galleries and the history of art, Katy Hessel sets out to redress the balance in this book spanning 400 years. We encounter the work of Renaissance miniaturist and nun Plautilla Nelli and quiltmaker Harriet Powers, among others.

The Golden Mole And Other Living Treasure by Katherine Rundell (Faber & Faber, £14.99)

The award-winning children’s writer tells stories from the animal kingdom. We meet the American wood frog that freezes solid to survive winter and Lorenzo de Medici’s stylish giraffe.

But she also sounds a warning note – all these creatures are endangered.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse: The Animated Story by Charlie Mackesy (Penguin, £20)

More than seven million copies of this book about a lost boy have been sold, and the accompanying movie will air on BBC One at Christmas.

This book of the film is illustrated with the work of more than 100 animators who helped bring the story from page to screen.

365 Days Of Feel-good Art by Lorna Scobie (Hardie Grant, £16.99)

Artist Lorna Scobie shares ideas and prompts to inspire us to make time for creativity every day of the year. So you can design a beach hut, create abstract art or draw a cartoon sketch of your day.

Not only will this book fire your creativity and help you develop your artistic skills, but Scobie also reminds us of the mindful benefits of art.

The Ship Beneath The Ice by Mensun Bound (Macmillan, £25)

More than 100 years after Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance splintered and sank in the Antarctic ice, Mensun Bound embarked on an expedition to locate it.

Here, he tells of the intrepid spirit that drove Shackleton’s exploration, and the teamwork, in treacherous conditions, that went into finding the wreck.