New York Magazine

Book Worms:

Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade: 1940–1950, by Todd Herman, et al.
This hefty tome depicts the American master’s artistic evolution from figurative work to abstract colorscapes ($50 at St. Mark’s Bookshop, 31 Third Ave., at 10th St.; 212-260-7853).

Kurt Vonnegut: Letters Edited by Dan Wakefield.
Sixty years of personal correspondence from the sometimes depressed and always hilarious Vonnegut, essential for anyone who considers himself a member of his karass ($35 at Word, 126 Franklin St., nr. Milton St., Greenpoint; 718-383-0096).

Diaries, by George Orwell, Edited by Peter Davison.
Dead at 46, Orwell never had a chance to tell his own story. The diaries here do the job with such detail it’s as if they were meant to be private ($40 at Three Lives & Company, 154 W. 10th St., at Waverly Pl.; 212-741-2069).

Hunger Games Cookie Stamp
Nothing improves a dystopian novel about starving children like munching on themed cookies every time you turn a page ($12 at totalum.etsy.com).

Saul Steinberg: A Biography, by Deirdre Bair.
You’ve seen the illustrations on the cover of The New Yorker, now read about the wit who created them. Or just look at the pictures ($40 at BookCourt, 163 Court St., nr. Pacific St., Cobble Hill; 718-875-3677; 11/20).

Punk: An Aesthetic, by Jon Savage, et al.
It’s not very punk to make a book about iconic punk imagery. But putting that book on your gift list so some conformist uses his slave wages to buy it for you? That’s punk ($55 at Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton St., at S. Portland Ave., Ft. Greene; 718-246-0200).