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)

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is hanging near its records on Tuesday following a mixed start to the latest profit reporting season for big U.S. companies. An update on inflation is meanwhile offering little momentum, either upward or downward, after coming in close to expectations.

The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1% after drifting between small gains and losses during the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 287 points, or 0.6%, as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%. Both the S&P 500 and Dow are coming off all-time highs.

U.S. companies are under pressure to deliver strong growth in profits for the last three months of 2025 to justify the record-breaking runs for their stock prices. Analysts expect companies in the S&P 500 to deliver overall earnings per share that are 8.3% higher than a year earlier, according to FactSet.

JPMorgan Chase helped kick off the latest reporting season by delivering weaker profit and revenue than analysts expected. Its stock fell 3.1% and was one of the heaviest weights on the market, but the shortfall may have been partly because some analysts hadn't updated their estimates to account for the earnings hit taken due to the bank's purchase of the Apple Card credit card portfolio.

CEO Jamie Dimon sounded relatively optimistic about the U.S. economy, saying “consumers continue to spend, and businesses generally remain healthy.”

Delta Air Lines lost 3.2% despite reporting a stronger profit for the end of 2025 than analysts expected. Its revenue came up short of Wall Street’s expectations, as did the midpoint of its forecasted range for profit in 2026.

Chipotle Mexican Grill fell 3% after saying it's looking for a new chief marketing officer, a move that analysts said was a surprise.

On the winning side of Wall Street were several health care companies after they raised their financial forecasts at an industry conference with analysts.

Moderna jumped 12.1% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after saying it expects to report revenue for 2025 that's above the midpoint of the range it had forecast in November. It also offered updates on several products, including a seasonal flu vaccine that could see potential approvals beginning later this year.

Revvity rose 4.6% after life sciences company said it expects to report profit for 2025 that's above the top end of the forecasted range it had earlier given. Its forecast for revenue in the fourth quarter also topped analysts' expectations.

Outside of health care, L3Harris Technologies rose 2.2% after the defense company said it’s planning to break off its Missile Solutions business into a separate company through an initial public offering. As part of the plan, the U.S. government agreed to invest $1 billion in the business, which will convert into common stock in the IPO.

L3 Harris will keep a controlling interest in the Missile Solutions business following the IPO.

In the bond market, yields held relatively steady after Tuesday's inflation report strengthened expectations that the Federal Reserve may be able to cut its main interest rate at least twice in 2026 to shore up the job market.

Lower interest rates could make borrowing cheaper for U.S. households and boost prices for investments, but they could also worsen inflation at the same time. Tuesday’s report showed that U.S. consumers paid prices last month for gasoline, food and other costs of living that were 2.7% higher overall than a year earlier. That’s a touch worse than economists expected and above the Fed’s 2% target for inflation.

But, more encouragingly, an important underlying trend of inflation wasn’t as bad last month as economists expected. That could give the Fed more leeway to lower interest rates later.

“We’ve seen this movie before—inflation isn’t reheating, but it remains above target,” according to Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

The data helped the 10-year Treasury ease to 4.18% from 4.19% late Monday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Fed will do, inched down to 3.53% from 3.54%.

A day earlier, Treasury yields swung amid worries about the Federal Reserve's worsening feud with President Donald Trump. The concern is that the president's attacks on the Fed could result in a central bank that's less independent and more subservient to the White House. Experts say that in turn could lead to higher inflation over the long term.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe and Asia.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 soared 3.1% for one of the world’s biggest moves and set a record, thanks in part to gains for technology-related stocks.

Investors expect Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October, to try to capitalize on her relatively high popularity to call a snap election, hoping to strengthen her mandate for higher government spending.

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed.

Trader Robert Finnerty Jr., foreground, works with colleagues on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Sal Suarino works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Meric Greenbaum works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A pair of traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A dealer walks near the screens showing the foreign exchange rates at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Tokyo. (Kyodo News via AP)