Is your personal library filled with both automotive coffee-table books and dog-eared travel books? Ours, too.

Alfa Romeo Official Centenary Book

(Giorgio Nada Editore; $700 approximate) by Roberto Boccafogli, Cesare De Agostini, Luca Goldoni, Luciano Greggio, Alessandro Piccone, and Lorenzo Ramaciotti

If you are a fan of Alfa Romeo, this limited-edition book (999 copies) covering the first 100 years of the storied marque is exactly what you'll want Santa to leave under your Christmas tree. With more than 200 pages and 485 black-and-white archive and newly commissioned photos, the authors have brought to life the fascinating story of the men and cars of Alfa Romeo.

As the official book of the Alfa Romeo Centenary, which has been celebrated around the world during the past year, it benefits from unprecedented access to the historic materials from the Alfa Romeo Documentation Center.

This red-cloth-covered presentation bears the manufacturer's official badge, the same found on the road cars, and is enclosed in a protective box bearing the corresponding special-edition number.