couchsitters whose only contact with the written word is TV Guide, you should be able to find something good for anybody.

A browse through any bookstore reveals a world of fascinating subjects and treatments that provide entertainment, knowledge, visual stimulation and simple distraction.

This year's crop of new publications shows that giftgivers have a lot to choose from.

The only book missing from local shelves is the hottest-selling one of all: Madonna's sensational Sex .

It's the most controversial publication this season, but to get a copy you'll have to fly to New York.

Bookmart manager Linda Young said she imported five copies of the mylar-wrapped, metal-bound book to meet specific customer orders. And there doesn't seem to be a chance for any more.

Warner Books, the publisher of Sex , said there will not be a US re-print, and Mrs. Young said she had no plans to bring in more.

But the absence of Madonna's opus is not a big deal in a year that has produced a wonderful slate of books.

Top of the list is David McCullough's magnificent biography Truman ($30). Ten years in the making, the book's timely publication explores the extraordinary man this year's Presidential candidates each tried to claim as their alter ego.

The power of the book -- it has been on the New York Times bestseller list for four months -- and the power of its outstanding subject affected the presidential race in both style and substance.

Evidence of Trumanisms, from George Bush's whistle-stop campaign, to Bill Clinton's visit to Truman's hometown of Independence, Missouri; to the Republican hopes for an historic come-from-behind victory, pervaded the election.

But the crowning glory of McCullough's effort is the absolute ease of reading Truman . This is a work of a master craftsman completely devoted to the "ordinary man who did the extraordinary.'' Another superb historical read is Robert Conquest's Stalin, Breaker of Nations ($25).

This account is a must for anyone who wants to know more about the mysterious man whose evil shadow falls over so much of the 20th Century.

Conquest is considered the preeminent western historian of Soviet Russia and his biography of Stalin is based on information made possible by glasnost .

Of all the tyrants of our time, Stalin lasted the longest and wielded the greatest power. His secrets were the most jealously guarded, even after his death.

Conquest's erudite work covers signal events such as Stalin's clash with Lenin, the horrors of collectivisation, the Great Terror, the Nazi-Soviet Pact, the Nazi-Soviet war and the anti-semitic campaign before his death.

By the end of Conquest's book, it is possible to understand the man who ruled the world's biggest empire and murdered millions in doing so.

Artist Georgia O'Keefe, whose Bermuda work Banyan Tree is displayed at the National Gallery, is the subject of a few books on local sale.

O'Keefe was one of those rare individuals whose talent and personality kept her at the top of American life for more than 60 years.

Jeffrey Hogrefe, a journalist, met the great lady in the last years of her life. She was 93, and when she smiled "the entire earth cracked open,'' Mr.

Hogrefe recalls.

His O'Keefe: The Life of an American Legend ($34.25) seeks to unravel much of O'Keefe's enigma. In particular, he seeks answers to the mysterious inspiration for her sexually-charged flower paintings and the private life she kept so well hidden.

Her work is best seen in the huge coffee table book Georgia O'Keefe In The West ($140). Although her career began in the eastern United States, she found her spiritual home in the west. The paintings in this book capture her eloquent vision of that harsh land.

Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography ($41) is the first major work on the American titan who changed modern architecture while creating a quintessentially American vision.

This meticulously illustrated book by Meryle Secrest focuses on Wright's struggle against all that was middlebrow in America. He was the architect who fought the trend to coffin-like houses and topless towers and showed the way to harmonise architecture with nature.

The Last Tsar: The Life and Death of Nicholas II ($35) is one of the year's most sensational books.

Written by Eduard Radzinsky, The Last Tsar uses new documents to shed light on the execution of the Tsar and his family -- an event that set the stage for the Stalinist atrocities to follow.

Eyewitness reports make this a must-read for anyone interested in that fascinating period.

One of the most amusing publications of the year is Millie's Book ($14), the first-person, dog's-eye view of life at the White House. Follow Millie through her first day at the President's Pennsylvania Ave. home, puppies, visiting heads of state and quiet moments with the Bush family. Other books to take note of include: Before the Wind ($25), which features selections from the world's most famous authors and sailors. There's wisdom, humour, practical advice and ripping yarns.

Windfall, The End of the Affair ($25) by Bermuda visitor Mr. William F.

Buckley Jr.

This beautifully-illustrated book marks a passage of sorts for Buckley; most literally on his sailboat from Portugal to the Caribbean but more symbolically through a year of milestones in his life.

Finally, for children, take a look at Graeme Base's The Sign of the Sea Horse ($27.35). This beautiful book promises to take its readers "Beyond the ken of mortal men, beneath the wind and the waves, (where) lies a land of shells and sand, of chasms, crags and caves.'' DON GREARSON Harry Truman -- "an ordinary man who did the extraordinary.'' Madonna -- `Sex' will be hard to find in Bermuda this Christmas.