Among the books and other items that have crossed my desk this year are a few with local ties for art lovers of a variety of ages and expertise, including a child's bingo game, a guide for beginning painters and an accessible, picture-filled art history reference. All are worth considering in this time of gift giving.

Cave to Pop

David G. Wilkins, professor emeritus of the History of Art and Architecture, University of Pittsburgh, author and global tour leader extraordinaire, edited and wrote the brief introduction for "The Collins Big Book of Art: From Cave Art to Pop Art."

With 500 pages sporting more than 1,200 full-color illustrations of an almost equal number of artworks, the book is a visual feast that will serve as a useful introduction to art for any age level, intrigue browsers and act as visual library for the informed.

A richly illustrated time-line begins circa 37,000 B.C. to 11,000 B.C. in Spain with a Horse's Head drawn on the wall of the Chimenas Caves. The last entry is a 1963 Op Art painting, "Fission," by Bridget Riley. In between are acknowledged masterpieces of the art historical canon, as well as lesser known works and artists.

Interspersed are 24 "turning points," single-page descriptions of a discovery or event that author Iain Zaczek, who's written more than 40 books on various periods of art history, believes had significant impact on art making.

The first, for example, cites artists in the Indus Valley as among the first to combine words and images around 2,300 B.C. Others address how the camera obscura or photography influenced artists. (Zaczek concludes that Vermeer, an acquaintance of microscope pioneer Anton van Leeuwenhoek, made use of the camera obscura for his realistic depictions, but discounts that it detracted from the artist's brilliance.)

In the second part of the book, works are gathered under 21 themes, each of which Zaczek addresses briefly. They include the presumed -- portraiture, still life, landscape -- but also entries such as domestic or urban life.

At their best, these latter pages can be a succinct lesson in the evolution of form, as with "The Body in Motion," which opens with the stilted-appearing 15th-century engraving "Battle of the Nudes" and concludes with Marcel Duchamp's bounding 1912 "Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2)."

There are things to quibble with, as the book aims higher than it achieves. The colors are occasionally off -- note the reproductions of Thomas Moran's "Sunset Venice" on pages 283 and 400. And the indexes aren't as thorough as they might be; Moran and Albert Bierstadt are indexed as Hudson River School artists, for instance, but the more significant Frederic Church and Asher Durand are not.

But at $39.95, the hardcover book more than delivers. Available at bookstores.

Art Bingo

Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, Louis Comfort Tiffany -- BINGO! Not your usual church hall calls.

The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, is the first art institution to have a bingo game designed by Mineola, Texas-based Lucy Hammett Games.

Based on works in the museum collection, the six playing boards display color reproductions of artworks instead of numbers. Also included are 42 caller cards and marker chips.

Children who have played the game have recognized artworks from it as they later walked through the museum.

For ages 3 to adult. Available at the museum gift shop, $14.

Warhol 24/7

Andy Warhol continues to fascinate young and old alike in an increasingly global audience. The number of exhibitions held and books written about the late Pittsburgh native grow annually, and one in particular stands out for its broad appeal.

"Andy Warhol: 365 Takes," compiled by the staff of The Andy Warhol Museum on the occasion of its 10th anniversary celebration in 2004-05, offers a daily read about the king of Pop that's entertaining as well as informative.

Its innovative format -- 6 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches, and 365 factoids thick -- pairs Warhol lore, insider information and the artist's pithy quotes with full-color illustrations, making for an easy read that simultaneously suggests Warhol's complexity.

Available at the museum gift shop, North Side; $29.95 hardback.

You can paint

Have you noticed more people taking up painting as a leisure time activity? New Kensington artist Eileen Potter Kopelman did and wrote a book to encourage beginners or those who want to polish old skills.

"Art Talk: A Practical Guide to Painting and Drawing" is part instruction, drawn from 15 years of painting experience, and part personal reflection, which distinguishes it from similar books.

Kopelman addresses such pragmatic things as setting up a studio, selecting art supplies and creating perspective, in a conversational manner.

As subjects, for example, "Rocks have infinite variety and yet have many similarities. The coast of Maine has terrific rocks. A trip there just to paint them would not be a waste of time."

She also weighs in on more critical topics, such as contemporary art. "In case you are unfamiliar with installation art, it can be summed up by saying that if you were to see a plaster of Paris leg hanging over a table in a corner of a room, you would be looking at installation art. It is a way to fill up a room or exhibit space without much effort."

For adults and mature children. Available at toll-free 1-877-BUYBOOK; $13.95 paperback.