In bookstores, most gift books come in two sizes: large (expensive and lavishly illustrated) and small (literary stocking stuffers). Publishers like to say that any book can be a good gift for someone. In that spirit, here are a dozen suggestions for hard-to-please readers on your holiday shopping list.

FOR THE KNOW-IT-ALL

"A Little History of the World" by E.H. Gombrich; Yale, $25

In 1935, a young, unemployed art historian in Vienna was hired to write a history of the world for young readers. He did it in just six weeks. It became a best-seller in 18 languages but wasn't published in English until October. Gombrich was working on an updated English version when he died in 2001 at 92. Clearly and concisely, he explores everything from "prehistory ... with no names or dates" to a final thought 282 pages later: "We still have the right to go on hoping for a better future." The writing is graceful, often personal and should delight readers of all ages, even if Gombrich warns, "The history of the world is, sadly, not a pretty poem."

FOR THOSE BORED BY BOOKS

"Ennui to Go: The Art of Boredom" by Jon Winokur; Sasquatch, $14.95

There's nothing boring about this witty collection of short essays and quotations from everyone from Larry David to Emily Dickinson. Boredom often is deemed trivial, but Winokur ranks it with "war, revolution and economic upheaval as a force in human affairs." It began as a luxury: "For most of human history people were too busy trying to survive to be bored." No more. As former President George H.W. Bush once asked, "What's wrong with being a boring kind of guy?" Everything, thought President Richard Nixon, who proclaimed, "The worst sin in politics is being boring."

800 PAGES OR MORE

"Women's Letters: America from the Revolutionary War to the Present" by Lisa Grunwald and Stephen Adler; Dial, $35

A great reminder to write home. Spread over 806 pages are memorable slices of history, from the flirtatious teenager of 1777 to the soldier's wife of 2003, instant-messaging her husband in Iraq. Grunwald and Adler, a husband-and-wife team who previously edited Letters of the Century, write that men tend to spell better, have less-flowery handwriting, and have more to say about business and politics. Women's letters "were often more casual, usually more intimate, and frequently more memorable."

200 PAGES OR LESS

"Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice" by James Lileks; Three Rivers, $18

Perfect for anyone who prefers graphic stimulation over unrelenting blocks of black-and-white print. Culling magazines, ads and government pamphlets from the 1920s through the 1950s, Lileks compiles 176 pages of advice so ghastly that it seems a miracle anyone survived childhood. Mothers were urged to not touch their babies for fear of misshaping their bones. Spanking with the hand clearly was inadequate; hairbrushes appeared to be the weapon of choice. Lileks suggests that future generations may find our parenting attempts just as funny.

FOR THE GOOD SPORT

"Dark Horses & Underdogs: The Greatest Sports Upsets of All Time" by Les Krantz; Warner, $34.95

Illustrated essays on 50 athletes and teams who defied the odds and won. As Krantz puts it, "Sometimes David does slay Goliath." The top-ranked upsets: No. 1, Team USA, a bunch of college kids, stuns the fearsome Soviet hockey team in the 1980 Olympics; No. 2, cocky, playboy quarterback Joe Namath leads the upstart New York Jets over the mighty Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl. The book comes with a DVD narrated by sportscaster Jim Lampley.

FOR COMICS LOVERS

"Masters of American Comics," edited by John Carlin, Paul Karasik and Brian Walker; Yale, $45

An academic and beautifully illustrated exploration of 15 pioneers in comic books and strips. It ranges from the early 20th-century Sunday supplement pages of Winsor McCay, who "did for comics what D.W. Griffith did for movies and Louis Armstrong did for music," to the contemporary graphic novels of Chris Ware, "simultaneously depressing and enormously heartening." Who knew comic books, once linked to juvenile delinquency, would one day be art? As they say: "Thwack!"

FOR THE INTERMINABLY CURIOUS

"THE MAP BOOK" BY PETER BARBER; WALKER, $45

A treasure chest for those who read maps as if they were novels. The author collects 175 maps and essays on map-making, from prehistoric rock carvings to computer projections. Included: a map of Africa from 1890 that fired the imagination of novelist Joseph Conrad. The voyage up the Congo in "Heart of Darkness" begins with a map. The protagonist Marlow grew up with a passion for maps, studied the blank spaces in foreign lands and vowed, "When I grow up, I will go there."

ANYONE AT A LOSS FOR WORDS

"The Million Word Crossword Dictionary" by Stanley Newman and Daniel Stark; HarperCollins, $17.95

Two crossword creators list 500,000 synonyms, 5,000 famous people and 100,000 possible answers to classic clues, including Eskimo knife (ulu) and arrow poison (inee). In an intro, Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword editor, asks, "Is it cheating to use a book like this? Well, say you're stuck in the middle of a puzzle. You can give up ... or you can get an answer or two ... and finish the puzzle on your own. ... Using a reference book is educational."

FOR SLEEP-DEPRIVED PARENTS

"Once Upon a Time, the End (Asleep in 60 seconds)" by Geoffrey Kloske, illustrated by Barry Blitt; Atheneum, $15.95

Downsized riddles and fairy tales, such as "The Two Little Pigs" (the third was cut, to speed up the story), for kids who beg for "one more story" at bedtime. "Knock-knock/Who's there?/ Bed/Bed who?/Bedder go to sleep." Tested with two 5-year-olds. Sleepy Dad laughed at the abrupt endings; the kids kept begging for one more story, again and again.

THOSE AHEAD OF POP CULTURE

"Absolute Watchment: The Absolute Edition" by Alan Moore; DC Comics, $75

British writer Alan Moore's groundbreaking comic book has been reissued in an oversized, recolored hardcover. When first published in 1986, it brought grit and realism to what had been a medium for children. It's a sinister mystery about a vigilante in search of a murderer.

The mood is dark, the illustrations striking. It's filled with allusions, Cold War anxieties and superhero archetypes. Warning: not for children, although teens may love it.

LOVESICK BUT CLUELESS

"If We Ever Break Up, This Is My Book" by Jason Logan; Simon Spotlight, $14.95

Self-help designed as an artist's sketchbook proves to be funny and helpful. It's hand-lettered by Logan, whose "Roadmap to Recovery" starts at "The End" and winds its way through "General Wallowing" and "Your Dog Can Help" before moving on to "Angry Dating," "Actually, Your Dog Can't Help" and "Seasonal Activities for the Lonely" before reaching "Getting Over It" and "The New Beginning." The author advises, "Not to spoil the ending for you, but everything is going to be okay."

ANYONE HOLIDAY WEARY

"The Real Festivus: The Handbook for the Rest of Us" by Daniel O'Keefe; Perigee, $12.95

Alas, Virginia, there really isn't a holiday called Festivus. But in a 1997 episode of Seinfeld, the Costanza family celebrated a holiday that involves ruminating over resentments, a metal pole and male wrestling.

O'Keefe, who co-wrote the episode, describes how his own eccentric family actually celebrated Festivus.

Also out: "Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us" by Allen Salkin (Warner, $14.95), a faux history with a foreword by "Father Festivus," Jerry Stiller.