THE AMERICAN PAST (476 pp.)—Roger Butterfield—Simon & Schuster ($10). The American Past is history gift-wrapped for readers who ordinarily find the subject unattractive. A picture story of U.S.

We, at AD, love gift-giving season. That’s why knowing how to wrap a present is a skill we don’t take lightly. Packaging goes beyond selecting pretty wrapping paper. “It is the first impression, the ...

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." When it comes to finding the best gift for book lovers, picking up a new bestseller they've been eyeing ...

There are a lot of answers to the question “What is Christmas?” but our favorite is this: Christmas is a time of giving. That doesn’t just mean poring over gift ideas, of course—there’s also giving of ...

Jeff Somers is a freelancer who has been writing about writing, books, personal finance, and home maintenance since 2012. When not writing, Jeff spends his free time fixing up his old house. He has ...

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: Not sure how to wrap a present? Consider learning the diagonal gift wrap hack, which is age-old wisdom in some circles—a graduate student even wrote ...

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... My favorite part of the holidays is giving someone a book. I’m that person who gives everyone on my list a wrapped book then I joke it’s a box of socks. My ...