As the holiday season arrives, bookstore shelves fill up with the latest crop of lavishly illustrated books aimed at the Christmas market. Very often these handsome volumes deal with the kind of luxurious collectibles that are beyond the means of most of us, but the books themselves are beautiful and eminently collectable. Most books, like automobiles, drop in value the moment they're purchased. But fine illustrated books often, especially when published in limited editions, gain in value with the passage of time.

In 1900, the three most famous designers of the art nouveau era vied for the attention of the rich and super-rich at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. This moment is celebrated in "Artistic Luxury: Faberge, Tiffany, Lalique" by Stephen Harrison, Emmanuel Ducamp, Jeannine Falino and Christie Mayer Lefkowitz (Yale University Press; $60). The exquisite glassware, elaborate jewelry, and gem-encrusted objects these men created are the subject of more than 400 color photographs. The book also reproduces black-and-white vintage images such as one of Sarah Bernhardt wearing an enormous lotus brooch custom-made for her by Lalique. Four informative essays give first a general picture of luxury in the Belle Epoque, and then place the designers in the social and cultural milieus of the three cities in which they thrived, Moscow, New York and Paris.

A lesser-known but still fascinating figure of the same period was Charles Rohlfs, the innovative American who is the subject of "The Artistic Furniture of Charles Rohlfs" by Joseph Cunningham, Bruce Barnes and Sarah Fayen (Yale University Press; $65). The influence of art nouveau is readily apparent in his pieces, but it is modified by the more unpretentious tradition of the American Arts and Crafts movement, and his own quirky neo-Gothic taste. Instead of the delicacy of Tiffany glass or Faberge filigree, he offered ruggedly crafted, hand-worked wood.

A very different kind of furniture is to be found in the pages of "Empire Splendor: French Taste in the Age of Napoleon" by renowned French historian and curator Bernard Chevallier and Marc Walter (Vendome Press; $65.). The book is arranged room-by-room — moving from dining room to salon to bedroom, bathroom, library and gardens, describing the appointments of each and illuminating their social context. The more than 300 color illustrations — some giving full room views, others focusing in on details of fabric or furniture — present in profusion the kind of brocaded gilt and ormolu luxury that you will encounter if you have the good fortune to visit, for example, the Emperor's salon in the Grand Trianon at Versailles, or the Empress Josephine's living quarters at Compiegne. If you're putting off that trip to France because of the economy, this book will help keep the dream alive.

Prestel publishers has produced this season not one but two deluxe Warhol books — always a surefire subject of great popular appeal. "Andy Warhol: The Record Covers, 1949-1987" by Paul Marechal ($65), in silvery covers reminiscent of the walls of Warhol's "factory," was a surprise to me. I was unaware of just how many commissions he had had in this genre. This vivid catalogue raisonne contains all 50 covers that he designed in his signature style — from the music of Tchaikovsky to Count Basie to the Rolling Stones, augmented by many documentary images, and an illuminating text. The companion volume, if you're feeling particularly generous, is "Andy Warhol Live," written by three curators at three participating museums ($75). It covers the catalogue for a traveling exhibition that relates to the artist's involvement with the worlds of music and entertainment by including his depictions of the iconic movie stars of his youth and the pop music stars of his adulthood. It explores his collaborations with such avant-garde artists as choreographer Merce Cunningham and his key association with the Velvet Underground.

Linda Rosenkrantz has edited Auction magazine and authored 18 books, including "Cool Names for Babies" and "The Baby Name Bible" (St. Martin's Press). Visit her baby names website at http://nameberry.com. She cannot answer letters personally. To find out more about Linda Rosenkrantz and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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