10 Bookish Types : Last-Minute Gift Can Be Matched to Recipient’s Personality

Are you a last-minute shopper? Did you forget to buy a gift for someone at the office or in the family? Don’t panic; books might well provide the answer to your problem.

And because certain books and certain people are meant for each other, we’ve listed 10 personality traits--and two books to match each--to make your shopping even easier. Book prices may vary.

The Peoplephile (interested in the innermost secrets of others):

“The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill Alone” by William Manchester (Little, Brown: hardback, $24.95). Volume 2 of a not-yet-completed trilogy covers 1932 to 1940, when Winston Churchill was one of the few voices in Parliament speaking against the appeasement of Nazi Germany. It describes the difficulties he overcame and his ultimate triumph in convincing Great Britain about the dangers ahead.

“Gracie: A Love Story” by George Burns (Putnam: hardback, $16.95). Burns describes his 40 years with Gracie Allen, both on and off stage, showing her not only as the lovable scatterbrain she portrayed in vaudeville, movies and on radio and television, but also as a kind and giving woman, mother of two adopted children and as a wife. It is written with wit, humor and love.

The Couch Spud (television and movie watcher):

“The Story of Hollywood” by Barry Norman (New American Library, hardback: $19.95). Covers Hollywood movies from the coming of sound, through the studio system--Hollywood and sex, crime and politics; the B movie; the Western--to the decline of the studios. It contains 842151200color.

“Leonard Maltin’s TV, Movies & Videoguide 1989 Edition” (Signet, paperback: $5.95). Includes a listing of more than 18,000 films detailing the lead actors, directors, year produced, running times, ratings and brief plots. It also includes movies made for television, as well as the latest videocassette listings.

The Fact Finders (start conversations with, “Did you know . . . “):

“Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?” by David Feldman (Harper & Row: hardback $14.95, paperback $7.95). Does your fact finder stay up all night pondering the mysteries of everyday life? Why does U.S. electricity run on AC instead of DC? Why is Jack a nickname for John? Who was Emmy of the Emmy Awards? The answers will give your fact finder a good night’s sleep.

“Reader’s Digest Facts and Fallacies” (Reader’s Digest, hardback: $23.95). Covers more than 400 items that appear to be improbable, implausible or bizarre. Does spinach make you strong? Is there enough fresh water for twice the population of the world today? Do seeds really keep for 10,000 years?

The Puzzler (mental gymnast):

“The Next Book of Omni Games” by Scott Morris (New American Library: paperback, $8.95). More than 200 items, including puzzles, riddles, math analyses, logic problems, strange facts, party games and tricks. Will bring hours of entertainment or prove a humbling experience.

“The Greatest Puzzles of All Time” by Matthew J. Costello (Prentice Hall: paperback, $10.95). Includes not only the puzzles but the story behind the puzzles and the people who invented them. It contains murder puzzles, mysteries, magic, mazes, eye-benders and, of course, crosswords.

The Laugher (sees the funny side of life):

“Family: The Ties That Bind . . . and Gag” by Erma Bombeck (McGraw Hill: hardback, $15.95; Fawcett Crest: paperback, $4.95). A funny and somewhat irreverent look at the family, by one of America’s favorite columnists and a great humorist.

“Laughing Matters,” selected and edited by Gene Shalit (Doubleday: hardback, $24.95). A selection of humor from some of America’s funniest writers and cartoonists, including Woody Allen, Peter Arno, Mel Brooks, Groucho Marx, Ogden Nash, Will Rogers, Garry Trudeau and E. B. White.

The Coffee Table Decorator (those impressed by beautiful books):

“The Home Planet” by Kevin W. Kelley, with a foreword by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, under the auspices of the Assn. of Space Explorers (Addison Wesley: hardback, $39.95). The awesomeness of Earth and the mystery of space are conveyed via 150 exquisite photographs selected from Soviet and American archives and through personal statements by those who have orbited the Earth.

“A Day in the Life of California” by photographer Rick Smolan and editor David Cohen (Collins: hardback, $39.95). On April 29, 1988, 100 respected photojournalists captured the art of living in California with spectacular impressions of family life, hardship and adventure. The scenes are selected from more than 115,000 images.

The Traveler (can’t stay home):

“The Complete Guide to Bed and Breakfasts, Inns & Guesthouses” by Pamela Lanier (John Muir: paperback, $13.95). This revised 1988-89 edition lists more than 4,800 inns by city and state in the United States and Canada, and reservation services with access to more than 15,000 private guest houses. Romantic getaways, historical landmarks, access to golf and fishing and gourmet foods are described along with basic information.

“The International Guide to Tipping: When, Where & How Much to Tip in the U.S. & Around the World” by Nancy Star (Berkley Books: paperback, $5.95). Packing this small reference book is about as essential as the toothbrush. It includes tipping customs by country and a chart of exchange rates.

The Tycoon (who finds business a pleasure):

“Board Games: The Changing Shape of Corporate Power” by Arthur Fleischer Jr., Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr. and Miriam Z. Klipper (Little, Brown: hardback, $19.95). An illustration of corporate warfare and its players, “Board Games” looks inside eight major transactions of the 1980s and the role of the courts. Warren M. Anderson (the then-embattled chief executive officer of Union Carbide), T. Boone Pickens and others are profiled.

“Accidental Millionaire: The Rise and Fall of Steve Jobs at Apple Computer” by Lee Butcher (Paragon House: hardback, $19.95). Credited with transforming the personal computer industry, Apple Computer hit the Fortune 500 list faster than any public company in history. Butcher tells the story of co-founder and now-multimillionaire Steve Jobs, his rise to power and eventual ouster from the company he started in his parents’ garage.

The Gourmet (entertains with elegance):

“Keeping Company” by Moira Hodgson (Prentice Hall: hardback, $29.95). In a beautifully illustrated cookbook, Hodgson presents dozens of menus focusing on gracious and effortless entertaining. Chapters beckon with quick meals and menus for dinner parties, supper parties and weekend entertaining. Hodgson’s winter harvest dinner includes fettuccine with mushrooms and salmon fillets with red butter sauce.

“Martha Stewart’s Quick Cook Menus” (Potter: hardback, $22.95). Color photographs enticingly illustrate up to 230 recipes and preparation of 52 seasonal menus. Each can be prepared in an hour. Meals call for fresh ingredients and colorful presentation, such as Stewart’s white corn chowder, cornmeal fried chicken, broccoli with browned garlic and baked rhubarb for dessert.

The Sports Buff (loves to watch or play):

“Sports People,” text by Frank Deford, photographs by Walter Iooss Jr. (Abrams: hardback, $35). Along with 104 color portraits by Iooss, sports expert Deford amusingly comments on a variety of sports, including tennis, wrestling, surfing, street hockey, baseball, basketball and football.

“The Baseball Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Book” by Gerald Astor (Prentice Hall: hardback: $40). In celebration of this milestone year, nine of the country’s top baseball writers present essays on Hall of Fame players, including Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth. Hundreds of photographs from the National Baseball Library archives illustrate baseball’s history.