The following is the first installment of our annual roundup of gift books for the holidays.

Daylight Noir: Raymond Chandler's Imagined City photographed by Catherine Corman (Charta Art Books, $39.95 trade paper, 9788881587247/8881587246, October 2009). Black-and-white photographs are the perfect medium for Chandler's Los Angeles. The Lido Pier, Musso and Frank's, Union Station--all the places are sun-bright, yet darkly ominous. Each photograph is faced by an excerpt from Chandler's work. A treat for noir lovers.

Agatha Christie at Home by Hilary Macaskill (Frances Lincoln, $40, 9780711230293/0711230293, October 2009). This is a nice book for both Christie fans and Anglophiles. Filled with old photographs and new, it chronicles Christie's life and writings, with bits of delightful information, like the fact that afternoon tea was quite important to her, but what she liked best was the cream.

Great British Fictional Detectives by Russell James (Remember When/Casemate Publishing, $50, 9781844680269/1844680266, April 2009). Pricey? Maybe, but where else can you find such a complete listing of British detectives, from the well-known Adam Dalgliesh and Inspector Lynley to the less familiar but fabulous Miss Silver and Bill Slider. The text is supplemented with photos of authors, actors and book covers, and a few lists at the end, like "Day Jobs of the Amateur Detective."

The Lineup edited by Otto Penzler (Little, Brown, $25.99, 9780316031936/0316031933, November 2009). Penzler has collected biographies of great detectives, written by their creators. Precious Ramotswe (Alexander McCall Smith), Spenser (Robert B. Parker), Harry Bosch (Michael Connolly), Jack Taylor (Ken Bruen), Inspector Morse (Colin Dexter) and more--21 stories in all, and all fascinating and entertaining, explaining not only a character's history and motivation, but much about the author, too.

Travel books for the adventurous:

Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service by James McCommons (Chelsea Green, $17.95 trade paper, 9781603580649/1603580646, November 2009). McCommons spent a year riding across America, talking to passengers and railway workers. He writes about the history of U.S. railroads and discusses what should be done today and in the future. But this is also a fine armchair travel book that starts in Chicago and crisscrosses America, with engaging characters along the way.

Quest for the Kasbah by Richard Bangs (Open Road Publishing, $16.95 trade paper, 9781593601294/1593601298, February 2009). This is a companion to a PBS episode called Morocco: Quest for the Kasbah but can easily stand on its own. Bangs travels through beautiful Morocco, of course meets interesting people, has grand (and scary) adventures--and shares it all compellingly.

Off the Tourist Trail: 1,000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Eyewitness Travel/DK, $40, 9780756653996/0756653991, August 2009). Eyewitness says this book will take you to the world's most captivating places, and it delivers. The format is to offer an unexpected place vs. the expected, like Bryce Canyon vs. the Grand Canyon, or the Mindo-Nambillo cloud forest in Ecuador vs. Costa Rica, or the Netherlands' Kroller-Muller Museum for Van Gogh's works, with its extensive collection set in a idyllic, rural national park. A very nice dream book. 

Obamamania:

Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints by Hal Elliott Wert (Zenith Press, $35, 9780760337875/076033787X, October 2009). Hal Wert has collected more than 170 Obama posters, most of which have had only limited distribution within the states for which they were created. These striking images range from the mainstream to guerrilla street art, and are worth seeing for any graphic artist, no matter what your political views.

Art for Obama: Designing Manifest Hope and the Campaign for Change, edited by Shepard Fairey and Jennifer Gross (Abrams Image, $22.50 trade paper, 9780810984981/0810984989, October 2009). The Manifest Hope gallery exhibitions were held during the Democratic National Convention and President Obama's inauguration--it's a collection of paintings, photographs, clothing designs, murals and more. A great book for artists and Obama-maniacs.

The Audacity of Faith: Christian Leaders Reflect on the Election of Barack Obama, edited by Marvin A. McMickle (Judson Press, $17 trade paper, 9780817015541/081701554X, May 2009). Happily a bit out of the mainstream, away from the endless rehashing of last year's election, is this thoughtful compilation of sermons and essays. The 32 writers are theologically and racially diverse, from preachers Tony Campolo and Carolyn Ann Knight to pastors Gina Stewart and Ken Fong, and writers Philip Yancey and William Willimon, and they reflect on dreams of freedom, the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and spiritual transformation.--Marilyn Dahl