From fashion to sports, coffee table books are great holiday options

Stumped on a holiday gift? Reach for a coffee table book.

The sometimes pricey, often large-format books are abundant at holiday time. Take care to invest in just the right one to avoid sad or puzzled eyes when your gift is unwrapped.

Some suggestions among new releases:

This two-volume opus covers the film industry from 1936 to 1972. More than 700 pages of photos and stories plucked from the archives of Life magazine show icons and others behind the scenes and in front of the cameras. Take 6-year-old Natalie Wood hanging upside down on a swing. The nearly 17 pounds' worth of nostalgia is packed with both color and black-and-white images, along with photo essays for context. Taschen, with slipcase. $250.

A celebration of Black voices from Women's Wear Daily, dating to the publication's start in 1910. There are early efforts by Black garment workers to unionize. And Josephine Baker's 67th birthday bash. There's the rise of the late Virgil Abloh and working designers today, including LaQuan Smith and Sergio Hudson. Union Square & Co. Text by Tonya Blazio-Licorish and Tara Donaldson. $65.

This is Jules Feiffer's first graphic novel for young readers. The offbeat, Pulitzer-winning cartoonist takes a family on a wacky adventure to the Lost Dimension. Feiffer said in press notes that writing for young readers “connects me professionally to a part of myself that I didn't know how to let out until I was 60.” He's now 95. His artwork is colorful and out of this world. Good for ages 8-12. HarperCollins. $12.99.

Profiles of 50 groundbreaking female photographers through time and around the world, told in short essays. Many developed new techniques to capture images from war to fashion. The book offers tips on how to achieve the same outcomes. Cindy Sherman, Anna Atkins, Shirin Neshat and Lorna Simpson are included. By Gemma Padley. Laurence King Publishing. $24.99.

Lambda Legal has been fighting for LGBTQ+ rights for 50 years. This book takes readers through dozens of the nonprofit's milestone cases, from 1973 to 2023. It profiles leading players on both sides and tells the personal stories behind the legal briefs. By Jennifer C. Pizer and Ellen Ann Andersen. With a foreword by Roxane Gay. Monacelli. $59.95.

A 640-page tome offering movie art from more than 20 countries. “We're not rated X for nothin', baby!” declares a 1972 poster for “Fritz the Cat.” It was, in fact, the first animated film to be given an X rating. Also included: 1896 Parisian lithographs for the first public screening by the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis. They were among early pioneers of cinema. By Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh, Christopher Frayling and Alison Elangasinghe. Reel Art Press. $95.

British Columbia birder and photographer Melissa Hafting explores the joy and comfort her beloved birds have provided her in hard times, including the deaths of both of her parents. Her images of birds in the U.S. and Canada are intertwined with her personal narrative. “Who knows how many tomorrows I have left in my life, but all my tomorrows will be for the birds,” she writes. Rocky Mountain Books. $45.

A tribute to Mexico's beloved holiday when families welcome back the souls of their dead relatives. This lively volume unfolds with contemporary and historical context through photos and explanatory text focused on how the November holiday plays out in specific states and cities in Mexico. By Déborah Holtz and Juan Carlos Mena. Rizzoli New York. $65.

In the summer of 2023, at age 102, style icon Iris Apfel began work on this book. She called it her “legacy” book. She died the following March but her voice lives on in the memories she put down here. “The book is about living. Creating. Coloring life,” she wrote in the introduction. What follows is just that: a technicolor journey in words and pictures through Apfel's childhood, marriage, work and home. What a treat to hear her voice again. Easily browsable with digestible text. Abrams. $50.

The work of Brooklyn artist Mickalene Thomas spans painting, collage, photography and video as she expresses her vision of womanhood in this monograph that accompanies a touring exhibition. She is known for elaborate portraits of Black women using rhinestones, acrylic and enamel. The book includes essays about Thomas and her impact. “Often when I think about my love for others I think about how I see myself in them,” Thomas said in an interview included in the book. D.A.P. $60.

The surreal, color-saturated work of the renowned photographer and video artist David LaChapelle is on display in this book originally published in 2016 as part of a limited-edition boxed set. The publisher, Taschen, is now launching the volume and another, “Good News,” as separate unlimited trade editions. Provocative set pieces and celebrity portraits are included. There's a nude Pamela Anderson, a Chris Rock in Black Panther garb, an angelic Pharrell Williams and a host of others: Julian Assange, Britney Spears, Ye, Hillary Clinton and Rihanna, to name a few. $50.

Most of the world's adults don't have a grasp of basic financial concepts, according to this easy-to-follow look at how money works. What, exactly, is microfinance? What influences the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank? That and more is covered in text and engaging visuals. By Dariusz Wójcik, a widely published, award-winning economic geographer. Maps and graphics by James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti. Yale University Press. $40.

A contemplative Kobe Bryant. A fierce Ben Wallace. A cigar chomping Steph Curry. NBA photographer Nathaniel S. Butler has shot them all as the ultimate insider. The work here spans championship celebrations to moody portraits. Butler's photos are accompanied by commentary from some of his most famous subjects. With a foreword by Patrick Ewing and an afterword by basketball super fan Spike Lee. Additional words by David McMenamin. Abrams. $55.

Photographer Malin plus dogs plus iconic locations around the world are what drive this fun and fluffy book. Malin replaced people with dogs to create his canine scenes. There are dogs picnicking near the Eiffel Tower. He's got dogs settled in on a luxury private jet over Palm Beach, Florida, and dogs poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel. His pups are on ski slopes, in vintage cars and taking in Boston on a duck boat. Let the dopamine flow. Abrams. $45.

For more AP gift guides and holiday coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/gift-guide and https://apnews.com/hub/holidays.

This story has been corrected to show that Jules Feiffer is 95, not 90.

This photo shows the cover to “Mickalene: All About Love.” Coffee table books are good options for holiday gift guides. (D.A.P. via AP)

This photo shows the cover of “The Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Death and Life” by Déborah Holtz and Juan Carlos Mena. Coffee table books are good options for holiday gifts. (Rizzoli via AP)

This photo shows the cover of “The Women Who Changed Photography” by Gemma Padley. (Laurence King Publishing via AP)

This photo shows the cover of “Colorful,” by Iris Apfel. (Abrams via AP)

This photo shows the cover of “Dare to Bird” by Melissa Hafting. (Rocky Mountain Books via AP)

This cover image released by Reel Art Press shows "1001 Movie Posters: Designs of the Times." (Reel Art Press via AP)

This photo shows the cover of “Gray Malin: Dogs” by Gray Malin. (Abrams Books via AP)

This photo shows the cover of “Courtside: 40 Years of NBA Photography” by Nathaniel S. Butler. (Abrams Books via AP)

This photo shows the cover of “Atlas of Finance” by Dariusz Wójcik. Coffee table books are good options for holiday gifts. (Yale University Press via AP)

This cover image shows “Black in Fashion: 100 Years of Style, Influence & Culture.” Sometimes pricey, often large-format coffee table books make good holiday gift options. (Union Square & Co.)

This photo shows the cover of “Amazing Grapes” by Jules Feiffer. It’s the first graphic novel for young readers from the Pulitzer-winning, 90-year-old cartoonist. (HarperCollins via AP)

This combination of images shows cover art for, from left, "Black in Fashion: 100 Years of Style, Influence & Culture," "Colorful" by Iris Apfel, and “The Women Who Changed Photography” by Gemma Padley. (Union Square/Abrams/Laurence King Publishing via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s acting leader on Friday accepted the resignation of the chief of the presidential security service, Park Jong-joon, as he faced police questioning over how his forces blocked law enforcement efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol last week.

The acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, also expressed regret over the clashes between law enforcement officials and the presidential security service over the attempts to detain Yoon and called for lawmakers to reach a bipartisan agreement to launch an independent investigation.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police are planning a second attempt to bring Yoon into custody as they jointly investigate whether his brief martial law declaration on Dec. 3 amounted to an attempted rebellion. The presidential security service blocked an earlier attempt to detain Yoon at his official residence, which he has not left for weeks.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean police questioned the chief of the presidential security service on Friday as the two agencies clashed over attempts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police are planning a second attempt to bring Yoon into custody as they jointly investigate whether his brief martial law declaration on Dec. 3 amounted to an attempted rebellion. The presidential security service blocked an earlier attempt to detain Yoon at his official residence, which he has not left for weeks.

Park Jong-joon, the presidential security chief, says that his duty is to protect the president and warned of “bloodshed,” as critics said that his agency is becoming Yoon’s private army.

Park ignored two summonses before appearing for questioning on Friday over allegations of obstructing justice, a week after his forces repelled dozens of anti-corruption and police investigators from Yoon’s official residence.

The anti-corruption office and police have vowed to make a second, more forceful effort to detain Yoon, warning that members of the presidential security staff could be arrested if they get in the way.

The embattled president remains holed up at his official residence in Seoul, where the presidential security service has fortified the grounds with barbed wire and rows of vehicles blocking the roads.

Yoon made a short-lived declaration of martial law and deployed troops to surround the National Assembly on Dec. 3, which lasted only hours before lawmakers managed to get through the blockade and voted to lift the measure.

His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14 and accused him of rebellion. His fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberating on whether to formally remove Yoon from office or reject the charges and reinstate him.

There’s also speculation that police may attempt to detain Park and other leaders of the presidential security service before trying again to execute the detainment warrant against Yoon, which was renewed by a Seoul court on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters upon arriving for police questioning, Park again criticized the efforts to detain Yoon, saying that the investigation should proceed in a manner “appropriate for the status of an incumbent president” and the “dignity of the nation.”

“Many citizens are surely deeply concerned about the possible conflict and confrontation between government agencies,” Park said. “I came here today with the belief that under no circumstances should there be any physical clashes or bloodshed, and am hoping to prevent such incidents from occurring.”

Park said he made several calls to the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, urging him to mediate an alternative approach with law enforcement and also made similar requests to Yoon’s lawyers, but did not receive a satisfactory response.

Yoon’s lawyers accused the police of trying to undermine the leadership of the presidential security service.

“This is an abnormal move that displays a disregard for national security,” the lawyers said in a texted statement.

While the presidential security act mandates protection for Yoon, it does not authorize the service to block court-ordered detainments and some legal experts say the presidential security service’s action last week may have been illegal.

Asked in parliament about the presidential security service’s effort to block the detention, National Court Administration head Cheon Dae-yeop said Friday that “resistance without a legitimate reason can constitute a crime, such as obstruction of official duties.”

Although the president himself has wide-ranging immunity from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.

Yoon’s lawyers have questioned the legitimacy of a new detention warrant against Yoon issued by the Seoul Western District Court, arguing that the anti-corruption agency lacks legal authority to investigate rebellion charges or order police to detain suspects.

They also argue that detention and search warrants against Yoon cannot be enforced at his residence, citing a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge — which would be Yoon.

Yoon’s lawyers have urged the agency to either indict the president or seek a formal arrest warrant, a process that requires a court hearing. However, they have said that Yoon would only comply with an arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court, which handles most key requests in high-profile cases.

They accuse the agency of deliberately choosing another court with an allegedly favorable judge, even though the official residence is located in the jurisdiction of the Western District Court.

Security personnel walk on a road lined up with buses blocking the entrance gate of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Park Jong-joon, the chief of the presidential security service, arrives at the Joint Investigation Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Lim Hwa-young/Yonhap via AP)