Josh Hadro

Recommended to budding craft beer enthusiasts seeking a broader, though not necessarily deeper, understanding of world beer culture delivered in package that's easy on the eyes. Those seeking a more scholarly (though less beautiful) source should instead consult The Oxford Companion to Beer.

This title hits the sweet spot of popular appeal and bona fide subject rigor and is likely to catch the eye of even the most casual browser—display prominently. Recommended for the ever-increasing number of public collections serving local-beer enthusiasts and for most academic collections; likewise suitable for any beer imbiber's home collection.

Recommended for fraternity brothers who missed Philosophy 101 or nonteetotaling philosophy majors seeking to broaden their beer horizons. For a more serious yet similarly accessible intro to philosophy, readers will want to consider the excellent (and free) courses on iTunes U from Oxford, Yale, and Berkeley.