52 - Wednesday, November 28, 1990 — North Shore News Coffee table books offer something for everyone AKE A deep breath, Christmas shoppers: it’s time for the sequel to last week's survey of cof- fee table titles grand enough to put even the best-trimm- ed tree to shame. if you're unfortunate enough to have a couch puck in the family, Vancouver Canucks — The First Twenty Years (Polestar Press/Raincoast; 127 pp.; $26.95) isn't going to improve your love life one iota. But no divorce court judge faced with Norm Jewison’s text and Bill Cunningham's action shots will fault you for not having tried your best. So when you're buying Van- couver Canucks..., anc subse- quently wrapping it up, just grit your teeth and repeat after me: A good defence is a strong offence, A good... Grizzly Bears (Douglas & Mcin- tyre; 160 pp.; $35) contains what has to be one of the most extraor- dinary photo essays of grizzties available anywhere. While most of us have seen pic- tures of these incredible animals fighting or fishing, Savage goes several steps beyond the tried- and-true in Grizzly Bears with photographs of newborn cubs, bear families engaged in affec- tionate play and even the odd clowning incident, Several of Adrian Forsyth’s previous books (including &xplor- ing The World of Birds) have received warm reviews in this column but Portraits of the Rainforest is his most spectacular achievement yet. The first thing to strike the reader is the quality of the photography by Fatricia and Michael Fogden: each and every image is not only dramatic in terms of subject matter (these people turn frogs into art) but the clarity and reproduction of the shots put many nature books to shame. Breakfast with SANTA Saturday, Dec. 8 &:30-10:00 a.m. 11:00-12:30 p.m. Pancake breakfast Entertainment Small gifts Visit with Santa Pre-registration required North Shore Neighbourhood House 225 East 2nd St. NVencouver 987-8138 Co-sponsored with North Shore § Neighbourhood House and Moodyille Lions Club. MIKE % " STEELE 4X. book review Forsyth’s prose details the fragile ecosystems of rainforests and raises the very real possibility that these wonders of our wilderness heritage may soon exist nowhere else but in the pages of books such as Portraits of the Rainforest, And speaking of photographic excellence and originality: The Kingdom by Art Wolfe (photographer) and Douglas Chadwick (text) is my personal choice as the most beautiful wildlife book of the season, From its eye-riveting cover pic- tures, The Kingdom (Douglas & Melntyre; 204 pp.: $49.50) is an outstanding selection of photographs of North American birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, all contained ia a large-format book unstinting on quality in every respect. Looking for a new angle on fish- ing? You may have missed the first two volumes of the Random House Fishing Library (Trout, 1988 and Secrets of The Fishing Pros, 1989) but there’s no excuse for overlooking the newly released volumes three and four: Fishing Rivers & Streams and Fishing Tips & Tricks. These hardcover books are rela- tively inexpensive ($19.95 each) but extremely well done. Habitat, techniques, ecology and hardware are just some of the areas explored in great depth in each book. As a confirmed fisherman, | can guarantee that even the most ar- dent angler will be amazed at the wealth of material in these titles. Depending on how well you learned the lessons contained in the preceding volumes, vou may Vai, N v EVENING TO REMEMBER DECEMBER 31 You get all this...... $ Delicious 4 course dinner ¢ Champagne brunch on BQ See ate COUPLE DINNER & DANCE ONLY $4.99 Limited seating! So act now! for reservations call be in the market for The Cana- dian Living Entertaining Cookbook (Random House; 255 pp.; $29.95). This one is a feast for the eyes and the stomach, with a mouth- watering assortment of recipes from one of Canada’s best-known food writers, Carol Ferguson, Ate too much? Then try working off some of those calories with a jaunt from Saskatchewan to Iceland and Cambodia (this is the one diet program Oprah hasn't tried). Seriously, armchair voyagess, here are three handsome ways to take in the splendor and history of parts of the world which. although remarkably different. are equally compelling, From Western Producer Prairie Books we have Historic Saskat- chewan (95 pp.; $24.95), a photo and text perspective on one of Canada’s least-known provinces. A revelation for most Canadians, the rich history and scenic qualities of this prairie realm as portrayed in Historic Saskatchewan may even surprise native stubble-jumpers, 2upaed, windswept fceland’s natural wonders and its unique settlements are revealed in fceland — Land cf the Sagas (Abrams/ Prentice-Hall; 160 pp.; $54), a contemporary and historic odyssey to the island now populated by the descendents of Viking seafarers. Iceland is a place of phenome- nal contrasts: lush meadows, mountain-locked glaciers and erupting volcanoes are just part of the physical diversity that has in- spired bards for a thousand years or more. From the chill waters of the North Atlantic we go to the steamy jungles of Cambodia in Angkor — The Hidden Glories (Houghion Mifflin‘Thomas Allen & Son; 253 pp.; $60), perhaps the finest travel book published this year. For ihe better part of two de- cades, the millennia-old temple ci- ty of Angkor had few visitors See Explore page 84 Reservation accepted 10% Off © NOW OPEN © 10% Off Come in and we will show You what Swedish beauty end quality is all about. Swedish Antiques FURNITURE WITH QUALITY 1449 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver 980-6113 ry SEASIDE JAZZ; SUND. pm AY BRUNCH ff Qur gourmer brunch and the render sounds of the Jon Laskin Trio Sundays 10:30-2:00 in Horseshoe Bay ON THE WATERFRONT IN HORSESHOE BAY YOURSE HERE. 985-3111 q Sunshine Girl lf you are 19 or over, and would like to appear as a Sunshine Girl, we'd like to hear from you! Please mail in a recent photo, with your name, address and phone number to the North Shore News, Box 9113, 1139 Lonsdale, North Vancouver V7M 2H4.