Books make great gifts. With that in mind, “The Book Nook” offers this list of books that we think would make great gifts for the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered person(s) in your life. As we did last year, we list the books by price range. Please note that these are list prices, which do not take into account the discounts that various outlets might offer.

Under 10 Dollars: There aren’t too many good books for less than $10 these days, so we repeat three titles from last year’s list: The Bear Essentials Postcard Book: The Best of Barry Gollop (Bruno Gmunder; $8.99); Homo Art by Gilles Néret (Taschen; $8.99); and The Essential Gay Mystics, edited with an introduction by Andrew Harvey (Harper Collins;$8.99). Also priced under $10 are The Only Bush I Trust Is My Own, humorous essays by Periel Aschenbrand (Tarcher; $9.95) and Shut Up! and Listen to Yourself, an insightful self-help book by Joshua Estrin (Angel Mind).

$10-19.99: One of this year's sad stories is the breakup of Silo and Roy, two male chin-strap penguins at New York City’s Central Park Zoo (Silo has since moved in with a female penguin). This shouldn’t stop you from buying the charming And Tango Makes Three (Simon & Schuster; $13.99). Written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, and illustrated by Henry Cole, it tells the story of Silo and Roy - and their adopted chick, Tango - back when they were one big happy family. Gay history buffs will appreciate last year’s Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution by David Carter, now in paperback (St. Martin’s Press; $14.95). The lesbian in your life might enjoy Rock Hard, Put Away Wet: Lesbian Cowboy Erotica [cowgirl erotica?] edited by Sacchi Green and Valencia Roxelle (Suspect Thoughts Press; $15.99) and/or Lesbian Pulp Fiction: The Sexually Intrepid World of Lesbian Paperback Novels 1950-1965 (Cleis; $18.95). Gay men who like their comics hot and sexy will devour two new collections by Canada’s own Patrick Fillion - The Incredibly Hung Adventures of the Mighty Males and Heroes (Bruno Gmunder; $17.95 each) - which feature the erotic adventures of Camili-Cat, Naked Justice, Ghost Boy and other muscly, hung, and frequently nude super heroes. Finally, these books in the White Crane/Lethe spirituality series will make great gifts: Two Flutes Playing by Andre Ramer ($123.95); Gay Spirituality by Toby Johnson ($16.95) and the classic anthology Gay Spirit, edited by Mark Thompson ($19.95).

$20-29.99: We all remember the moment when we KNEW that we were G, L, B or T. Famous “people of the Rainbow” recall that moment in their lives in When I Knew, edited by Robert Trachtenberg (Regan Books; $22.95). Humorist Margaret Cho, who defies categories, is back with her new book, I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight (Riverheard; $23.95). Movie buffs will like the insightful Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, by Tab Hunter with Eddie Muller (Algonquin; $24.95); or the gossipy Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson, by Robert Hofler (Carroll & Graf; $26). Fans of the late disco diva Sylvester will thank you for The Fabulous Sylvester by Joshua Gamson (Holt; $26). For those who like to read about the other kind of queen, there’s Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria by Julia P. Gelardi (St. Martin’s; $29.95). Last but not least are three volumes in the series of GLBTQ encyclopedias edited by Claude J. Summers (Cleis Press; $29.95 each): The Queer Encyclopedia of the Visual Arts, The Queer Encyclopedia of Music, Dance, and Musical Theater and The Queer Encyclopedia of Film, Theater, and Popular Culture.

$30-39.99: Published last year but still worth giving is the coffee table tome Ultimate Gay Sex by Michael Thomas Ford (DK Publishing $30). Two new (non-gay) histories that are worth reading (and giving) are 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann (Knopf; $30) and Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster; $35). Admirers of the male art form will love the historic photos of artists in the buff collected by Reed Massengill in Self-Exposure: The Male Nude Self Portrait, (Bruno Gmunder; $39.95); or the steamy shots of nude muscle men taken by photographer Ron Lloyd and published in his two photo books Built! and Built! More (Bruno Gmunder; $39.95 each).

$40 and Up: Eakins Revealed by Henry Adams (Oxford; $40) is the new, controversial biography of Thomas Eakins, well-illustrated with the artist’s drawings, paintings and photos. Last year’s American Adonis: Tony Sansone, The First Male Physique Icon by John Massey (Universe; $44.99) is a well-illustrated biography of the great pin-up and body builder. Finally, on the heels of similarly-titled calendars and posters comes Locker Room Nudes: Dieux du Stade, The French National Rugby Team (Universe; $50), a collection of nude shots of muscly French rugby players - by photographer François Rousseau - that should inspire the recipient to move to France, take up rugby, or both. It is worth the price.

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and gay book lover who lives in South Florida with his life partner and many books. You may reach him at jessemonteagudo@aol.com.