December is upon us and as usual, we will be offering a few gift suggestions – some new, some retro — for the holiday season. And as is our tradition, we will be repost the retro drinking guide leading up to New Year’s.

Today’s suggestion is the newly released book by James Curtis, who is receiving much praise for “William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come.”

James will be interviewed by TCM host Robert Osborne for four nights of Menzies’ films, airing in January.

He will also appear during a night of UCLA archival restorations at the Billy Wilder Theater, March 26.

And at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival, Oct. 1-8, 2016.

The book is available in the Los Angeles area at Book Soup, Skylight Books, Vroman’s at $40, and from Amazon at $28.94.