Except for cookbooks, books are rarely given as wedding presents, even though they make splendid gifts. Many are fairly inexpensive, and a careful selection will be looked on more fondly 10 years hence than will another fancy glass bowl or vase.
Although most couples bring a number of books to their marriage as a sort of trousseau, new titles given to newlyweds can sow the seeds for a lifetime of collecting. Following are suggestions for a stack of books to provide the start to a well-rounded library. All are guaranteed to improve with age.
Six years after “Weddings,” by Martha Stewart (Clarkson N. Potter Inc., $70), was released, the 370-page tome remains as captivating. It’s a good book to give an engaged couple before they begin to plan their big day because it is so comprehensive. Information covers the style of the wedding (small and intimate or large and splashy), ceremony, party, invitations, attire and food.
One of the best parts of the book may be the wedding cakes and their recipes, many of which Stewart baked herself and customized to the event at hand. Hilary?? Cushing Block’s had icing that resembled the pleats of her Mary McFadden gown. Others are tiered extravaganzas of buttercream swirls and roses, silky ribbons, spun sugar and fresh flowers.
Even if a wedding already has been planned down to the last mint or if the couple’s families don’t happen to own an island where they can hold it (as one family did), the book can be a wonderful keepsake. The text and photographs are intimate records of real-life weddings, symbolizing all the romance and togetherness that happy nuptials inspire, no matter how elaborate or simple.
For another $35, Stewart offers a separate and attractive book for note taking called “The Wedding Planner.” It includes places to jot down seating plans and rental needs.
Although cooking may be partly a matter of reading and following instructions, it’s also partly a matter of being inspired. No matter how the culinary winds blow, there are classic texts that haven’t stopped drawing novices and pros into the kitchen since they were published. Some of those authors have written equally worthwhile new cookbooks.
Julia Child probably helped revolutionize home cooking more than anyone with her 1970 “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” (Vol. 1, Knopf, $37.50). Although most of us watch the number of eggs, butter, cream, and red meat we now consume, we may as well occasionally splurge with something delicious that includes some of those ingredients. Her book provides an ample repertoire.
Childs’ latest effort-“Cooking with Master Chefs” (Knopf, $17.95)-features recipes and pictures of some of the other superb chefs she has become friends with and cooked with through the years. Many own top restaurants. Among those featured in this volume are Andre Soltner of famed Lutece in New York and his lemon-almond tart and Alice Waters’ of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and her beet, orange, arugula and walnut salad.
If Italian rather than French cooking better suits a couple’s palate, consider Marcella Hazan’s newest and fourth cookbook, “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” (Knopf, $30). Since Hazan emerged on the cooking scene 20-plus years ago, she has taught readers how to go beyond spaghetti and bottled tomato sauces. In this book, there are recipes for lasagne with artichokes, polenta, veal scaloppines in different guises and olive-oil bread.
For most couples, a slice of a decadent chocolate cake served with a glass of milk or scoop of ice cream will help solve many thorny marital problems. Kathy Farrell-Kingsley’s small but appealing “Chocolate Cakes” (Hyperion, $9.95) features Hostess-style cupcakes with fillings, a chocolate souffle, a two-layer cake a la Mom or grandma.
You can save a couple a lot of angst if you give one of the modern etiquette books. We’re not talking about knowing the dress code for a 5 p.m. wedding, though proper dressing helps avoid embarrassment. Instead we’re talking about the do’s and don’t’s of modern society: Is it tacky to ask to bring a guest to a dinner party? To interrupt calls repeatedly for call waiting? And what do you call a newly acquired mother-in-law-to her face?
A slew of books can answer such queries, including “Miss Manners’ Guide for the Turn-of-the-Millennium,” by Judith Martin (Simon & Schuster, $15.95) and “Letitia Baldrige’s Complete Guide to New Manners for the ’90s” (Rawson Associates, $25.95).
Most couples should eschew the recent spate of books that tell how to avert financial ruin, such as “Life After Debt” and “Personal Bankruptcy.” They should be embarking on wedded bliss with unblemished balance sheets and moderate expectations. A simple, practical financial guide to help put them on the road to financial stability-and nirvana-is “Smart Money: Family Financial Planner,” by Ken and Daria Dolan (Berkeley Books, $10.95). Organized by topic (such as taxes), it includes lists (mutual funds by type and with phone numbers) and guides (how to estimate taxes and plan for retirement).
Style books have proliferated in recent years, with every look dissected and mimicked, from New York elegance to rustic country. While it might be nice to present a couple with a photo montage that inspires the look of a future home, the first few years call for something sensible and possibly limited to a room or two. Although most homeowners often rush to decorate company spaces, such as the living room, it makes sense first to tackle the bedroom and bath. Former dress designer Diane von Furstenberg tells how in “Beds” (Bantam Books, $35) and “The Bath” (Random House, $37.50).
Fortunately, there are also dozens of fix-it-guides available. One of the most comprehensive is the “Reader’s Digest Fix It Yourself Manual” (Reader’s Digest, $23.95). Though its 480 diagram-filled pages look, and are, somewhat boring to peruse, it manages to cover such basics as getting rid of pests, reading a pesticide label and understanding how appliances work. You’d think, however, that most newlyweds would have better things to do than disassemble, then reassemble, a mixer or iron.
Even if a couple’s furnishings are at first minimal, they’re likely to have one coffee table that demands one oversized, somewhat expensive “coffee-table” book with beautiful cover.
There are many to choose among. “The Complete Lyrics of Ira Gershwin” (Knopf, $45), edited by Robert Kimball, is a wonderful keepsake for those who have or are planning to buy a piano, and may also help add some romance if they sing or read together lyrics from “The Man I Love” or ” ‘S Wonderful.” They should avoid “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”
It might be a bit presumptuous to gift a couple with a book on romance, but there’s no dearth of choices. Some are fairly graphic. Among the more humorous is “1,001 Ways To Be Romantic,” by Gregory J.P. Godek (Casablanca Press Inc., $11.95), which suggests clever, sensible and even slightly bizarre ideas such as arriving home from the office in a tuxedo to inspire romance.
In addition to romance, most ’90s marriages can use a hefty dose of excuses, at least occasionally. “Excuses, Excuses,” by Leigh W. Rutledge (Dutton) is a compilation of dozens for just $6.”
Finally, every couple needs to dream a bit. The travel section of most bookstores is a good place to stir the imagination. Pick a book on a city, state or country where they met, courted or where they’re headed for their honeymoon. If it’s a foreign destination, tuck in a pocket translator, detailed map or restaurant and shopping guide.
Dorothy may still have said it best, however. “There’s no place like home.” A beautiful picture, historical or guidebook about Chicago is always in good taste. Two personal favorites-“Chicago Access,” by Richard Saul Wurman (HarperPerennial, $18) and “Passport’s Guide to Ethnic Chicago,” by Richard Lindberg (Passport Books, $14.95)-focus on neighborhoods and out-of-the-way haunts.
