Love and Desire

You could look at Love and Desire -- Ewing's sequel to ''The Body'' -- as a thoughtful exploration of the power of photography to capture the psychosexual complexities and ambiguities of human longing. Or you could look at it as a bunch of dirty pictures. Either way, it works for me (hey, get a look at the aesthetics on that one!). Two centuries' worth of provocative pictures -- ranging from vintage family photos to slick Robert Mapplethorpe prints to hardcore French postcards -- are assembled in this 400-page paperback, making it the perfect stocking stuffer for the arty onanist on your holiday gift list.