Awesome Books

We rarely need to print things these days. But for the first 40+ years of personal computing, printers were commonplace. And they were some of the most frustrating pieces of equipment ever. The book Shitty Printers catalogs and rips apart some of the worst offenders, from cheap home inkjets to menacing tractor-feed machines.

Looking for a gift for a book lover who already has a full library? These solid wood coasters from Cutting Boredom make a great present for bookworms. They come in more than 20 different designs, each inspired by the cover of a classic piece of literature. Sold in sets of two or more.

Z2 Comics offers a visual retelling of some of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s greatest hits. The book features 20+ songs, each interpreted by a famous cartoonist. An oversized Deluxe Edition includes art prints, a vinyl slipmat, and collectors cards, while the Super Deluxe Edition is signed by Weird Al and packs more bonuses.

Every film fanatic needs Taschen’s Horror Cinema on their bookshelf. This 640-page book catalogs some of the most notable horror movies of all time, along with common themes, tropes, and mythologies of the genre. Whether you’re into zombies, psychopaths, or other kinds of monsters, there’s something for every horror fan.

This compact reference guide and field manual is packed with tips and tricks for surviving all kinds of disasters and emergencies. The Cargen Brothers’ 72-page mini book could save a life with helpful information on subjects like building a fire, first aid, knot tying, plant identification, hand signals, navigation, and more.

This fascinating book tells the stories behind the organs, appendages, and other bits attached to (or detached from) famous bodies. What’s the deal with Charles II of Spain’s jaw? What does Anne Boleyn’s heart reveal about the Crusades? Odd skulls, spleens, and breasts give an enlightening and entertaining view of history.

Written by ex-con Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez and actor Clifton Collins Jr., this unique cookbook offers up more than 65 recipes made by inmates using instant ramen and other items they could get from the commissary while incarcerated. Among the contributors: Slash, Shia LaBeouf, and Danny Trejo.

Don’t have the time or attention span to read books? Four Minute Books is a modern-day spin on CliffsNotes, summarizing popular and useful books down to their most essential information. A subscription gives you access to more than 1000 book summaries and 1000 audio titles, plus 12 new titles each month.

Have you joined the adult coloring book cult yet? Steven Rhodes’ wickedly funny drawings will have you reaching for your crayons to color kid-unfriendly parodies such as Death Metal Sing-Along, Alien Abduction Club, and Here Comes the Apocalypse, plus warped activities like occult career selector paper dolls.

James Beard Award-winning mixologist Toby Maloney and the bartenders of Chicago’s The Violet Hour created this 320-page guide to the fundamentals of cocktail making. You’ll learn about balancing ingredients, getting the right textures, aromas, and temperatures, then advance to making your own concoctions.

This amazing book is loaded with more than 100 cross-sections of vehicles and spaceships from the Star Wars universe. Each image features call-outs detailing the inner workings of the vehicles from every Star Wars feature film. Highlights include Boba Fett’s Slave I, Vader’s TIE Advanced X1, and a Republic Gunship.

This compendium from Phaidon combines and updates the three-volume Phaidon Design Classics into a single 592-page hardcover book. A must-own for appreciators of industrial design, the book showcases the most iconic and influential products and objects from the 17th to the 21st century.

After 98-year-old Lillian read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, filmmaker and creative director Chris Carboni interviewed her to ask some questions about the book. He then used interpretive AI technology to create images to accompany Lillian’s amusing and endearing descriptions of the story and its characters.

Author and audiophile Gideon Schwartz follows up the excellent Hi-Fi with a visual history of turntables and vinyl recordings. The 264-page hardcover includes hundreds of images of turntables, their stories, and the rise, fall, and rebirth of the medium.

Initially released in 1934 by author Edward Powys Mathers, the book Cain’s Jawbone is a fiendishly difficult mystery for puzzle fanatics. Your task: read the book’s 100 pages, cut them out and put them into the correct sequence to reveal six murders and identify their killers.

This 432-page hardcover book from Taschen explores the origins and evolution of iconic corporate logos. Graphic designers and history buffs will love exploring the more than 6000 logo designs from the 1800s to the 1940s, some of which are still in use today. It’s a great source of creative inspiration too.

You’re Saying It Wrong podcast hosts Kathryn and Ross Petras authored this quirky book for trivia, history, and anatomy buffs. Told in chronological order, it explores milestones in history tied closely to human body parts, from Cleopatra’s nose to Ann Bolyeyn’s heart to George Washington’s fake teeth.

This expansive reference guide from Chronicle Books provides detailed information on hundreds of tools. The 288-page book catalogs their uses and the differences between similar tools, arranged by function: measuring, cutting, fastening, and shaping.

This 630-page hardcover book from Taschen compiles pristine copies of the first 20 stories of The Avengers. The anthology features Thor, Ant-Man, The Wasp, Hulk, and Iron Man as they joined forces in 1963. The Famous First Edition will get 5000 numbered copies, while the Collector’s Edition is limited to 1000.

This guidebook from Red Right Hand Comics teaches you everything you need to create your own pixelated works of art. It offers more than 200 pages of lessons on making sprites, backgrounds, animation, and ideas for an efficient workflow. Both the digital and hardback versions include access to a digital resource archive.

Originally published back in 1953, Hervey Garrett Smith’s book The Arts of the Sailor: Knotting, Splicing and Ropework is a great reference for mariners of all experience levels to learn about shipboard skills, along with detailed illustrations and directions for working with rope and tying various useful knots.

In 16th century France, a mysterious book was published, filled with illustrations of 120 strange monsters and not a single word of text. Video essayist Hochelaga explores the imagery of The Drolatic Dreams of Pantagruel and its creepy, grotesque, and comical creatures, and what they might have meant.

Not every drink needs to knock you on your ass. Author Kat Odell’s cocktail book offers up 50 recipes for festive drinks that taste delicious but are light on the alcohol. They’re perfect for a daytime party, a day at the beach, or just when you want something mellow and not too potent.

This 208-page reference book is packed with tips and tricks you can use to build your DIY abilities. You’ll pick up skills like building your own metal forge, working with glass, wiring basic circuits, screenprinting, and more. It’s also got a section on organizing your workshop for efficiency.

Solved all of the puzzles in The Master Theorem? This Elite puzzle book is even more challenging – offering 40 incredibly difficult Theorems to solve and five training puzzles to help you warm up your big brain. The escape room-style puzzles will test even the best code breakers and critical thinkers.

Yoshi’s Well Read Collection includes wallets for book lovers. The handmade leather bi-folds have appliques of famous book spines on the outside, along with five credit card slots, a zippered coin pocket, and a bill compartment. They come with classics or science fiction art, as well as card holder and keyring versions.