Holiday wine gift basket

A true booklover's idea of heaven on earth is either a library, a bookstore or simply a quiet spot in which to read. As a result, they're a relatively easy lot to please. Readers who don't live in proximity to a city where authors tour regularly might enjoy books signed by their favorite novelist or nonfiction audiobooks read by the author. Hard-to-find and out-of-print favorites are treasures. Art books make excellent gifts for your favorite bibliophile. Here are some other suggestions:

Just add books to Levenger's Book Caboose, a suede-trimmed khaki tote that is filled with things you'd expect such as a felt-tipped liner, pencils, an eraser, stick-on notes, a notepad and a pencil sharpener. It also contains a few essentials you'd probably never think of: earplugs, a book light, a book bungee and book bumpers. The cost is $39.95 at www.levenger.com.

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Your mother always told you not to read underneath the covers, but the Light Wedge ($34.95) and Paperback Light Wedge with Case ($24.95) focus white reading light on the page in dimly lit spots. Powered by two LED lamps that run on two AAA batteries, the optical-quality Plexiglas pane can also be used as a bookmark. Available at www.lightwedge.com or www.levenger.com.

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The Booklover's Bed Tray from Levenger has an adjustable shelf to elevate your book or magazine. The price: $69.95. Available at www.levenger.com.

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Author caricatures are available on notecards, tote bags, mousepads and coffee mugs from Literary Luminaries. Alexander Dumas, Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison and Frederick Douglass are part of the collection available at www.literaryluminaries.com.

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Pomegranate offers a selection of bookmarks that feature black-and-white photographs of Langston Hughes, Harriet Tubman, legendary jazz and blues musicians and sports figures. Ronald A. Blodgett's bookmark carries an inspirational message: Get Cultured- Read. Available at www.pomegranate.com.

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Readers with special needs will appreciate large-print books and audiobooks. Thorndike's African American series of large-print books includes Bebe Moore Campbell's What You Owe Me, Quincy Jones's Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones, Jacqueline Jakes's Sister Wit and Gwynne Forster's When Twilight Comes. Cost is $30, at www.gale.com.

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Shhh! ... Reading in Progress lets outsiders know that serious activity is going on inside. The ceramic sign from Barnes & Noble Gifts is $4.95.

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Music boxes from Frederick Douglass Designs capture the artwork from some of their most popular cards. Each box is about 8" x 6" x 3" and costs $84, available at www.fddesigns.com.

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Wrap your presents with the American Library Association's giftwrap set. Book motif includes three rolls of wrapping paper (available in green, red and purple), eight gift cards, six gift bags and five sheets of gold tissue paper. The set is available for $49 and items are also sold separately at www.alastore.ala.org.

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Missy Elliott, Jason Kidd, Bernie Mac and Serena Williams are among this year's additions to the American Library Association's celebrity reader poster series. The 22" x 34" posters are $15 each at www.alastore.ala.org.

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Pomegranate's Knowledge Card series makes learning fun. Choose from African American Women, Civil Rights Movement, African American Wisdom, Great African Americans, African American Art, and African American History. Each set is $9.95 from Pomegranate Communications (www.pomegranate.com).

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Ironwood Corner's Gift of Reading Basket includes a coffee mug, two gourmet coffees, and a three teabag sampler. From Ironwood Corner at www.ironwoodcorner.com.

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For Avid Book Collectors

How to Create Your Own African-American Library by Dorothy L. Ferebee (One World/Strivers Row; November 2003, $13.95 ISBN 0-345-45228-3) offers a guide to establishing a personal collection. Another book available to help build a collection is The African-American Bookshelf: 50 Must-Reads From Before the Civil War Through Today by Clifford Mason (Citadel, January 2003, $22.95, ISBN 0-806-52204-6).

My Book Collection software makes cataloging literary treasures easier. The CD package, which is available in Windows or MAC versions, includes some book collections for beginners' tutorial. It's available at Black Images Book Bazaar, $24.95, at www.blackimages.com.

With Children in Mind

Read-along book and cassette sets help children increase their reading proficiency and confidence. Weston Woods (www.scholastic.com/westonwoods) offers several delightful stories with wonderful illustrations read by famous voices. Aretha Franklin sings "The Star Spangled Banner" in a story about the national anthem. John Henry by Julius Lester is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson; Michael Clarke Duncan reads Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport; and James Earl Jones reads Verna Aardema's award-winning tale Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. Find out more at http://www.scholastic.com/westonwoods

Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales is a delightful collection of stories from several African nations. The book sells for $24.95.

Getting Cooks Stirred-Up

The Great American Writers' Cookbook, Vol. 2 (University Press of Mississippi, October 2003, $25.00, ISBN 1-578-06589-5) is a compilation of more than 150 recipes and culinary anecdotes from writers in all genres. Inside, you'll find Shay Youngblood's Southern Fried Tofu Alexander, Bebe Moore Campbell's Fast Pasta, Southern Peach Cobbler from Clifton L. Taubert, and columnist Norman Lockman's Potted Pork Loin. Nikki Giovanni offers up "the most wonderful soup in the world" with a caveat: "Mix and match your leftovers. That which cannot be made wonderful with beer will definitely yield to wine. If all else fails: add milk and call it stew." Collection editor Dean Faulkner Wells is William Faukner's niece and contributor of a tributary concoction called Puppy's Whiskey Punch. The Book Lover's Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature and the Passages That Feature Them (Ballantine Books, October 2003, $21.95, ISBN 0-345-46500-8) is Shaunda Kennedy Wenger and Janet Kay Jensen's novel approach to cooking.

Gwendolyn E. Osborne confesses that she is a "Bookie." When she's not reading books, she's writing about them. The Chicago-based freelance writer and frequent BIBR contributor recently went shopping for "book stuff." Some of the items on her wish list are sure to please the bibliophile on your holiday gift list. Osborne's booklover's gift guide begins on page 24.