What'll You Have: A History of the Varsity

For the Atlanta native: What could be more Atlanta centric than a coffee-table book about The Varsity? Such is the case with WHAT'LL YA HAVE: A HISTORY OF THE VARSITY (Looking Glass Books, $24.99), a glossy retrospective on Frank Gordy's quintessential hamburger stand. Fast food and even faster service aren't necessarily American virtues, but Dick Parker writes the Varsity's success story with admiration as plain as, in the restaurant's own lingo, a naked dog walking. Still, the Varsity qualifies as a genuine institution in a city with little regard for its own history, and What'll Ya Have includes enough colorful details, nostalgic reminiscences and scrapbook-style mementos to make it an appetizing present to any longtime Atlantan on your list.