Looking for a gift for a person who's difficult to shop for? Consider a selection of recently published books by Bermuda authors.Scott Stallard's new photo book about the 1950s, ‘Bermuda Back in the Day', promises to be a popular gift this year.The book, which contains numerous pictures of Bermuda from the 1950s, is so in demand Mr Stallard has had a hard time keeping it in stock. Even the Cabinet Office plans to use them as gifts for visiting dignitaries.“I was born in the 1950s,” said Mr Stallard. “I don't remember so much of it because I was so young. Being a photographer I took more interest in the visual part of the 1950s. I was always fascinated by seeing the details. Pictures are like going back in time. I get a sense of nostalgia.”Mr Stallard said it gave him a warm feeling to look back at pictures of old mobylettes and quiet country roads.“In those days, Christmases in our house tended to be focused around the fireplace. We had a little stocking and a pillow case. Our parents would tell us Santa had the pillow over his shoulder when he brought the gifts. The gifts were different then. There was a little bike or a toy gun. When my son was growing up I would give him four times as many gifts as I got as a child, and he still played with the box.”Over the years, Mr Stallard has amassed a large collection of slides of 1950s Bermuda. The collection was started through Mr Stallard's father Sidney. Sidney Stallard was a member of the Kindley Air Force Base Flying Club and flew a Piper Cub. He used his flying jaunts to take many photos of the Island below.“He gave everything to me,” said Mr Stallard. “Then I started collecting off of the website eBay, once I realised they had slides for sale. Sometimes the slides I bought would just say ‘Bermuda, San Juan and Barbados 1951'. I would troll through and pull out something that was really interesting. At the end of the day the slides were expensive to buy because you would buy 2,000 slides from that person's collection. You couldn't pick and choose what you wanted.”And over the years, Mr Stallard has often been delighted to recognise people in the slides.“I got one group of slides, and some of the kids in them were friends of mine from Saltus when we were about eight years old,” he said. “I printed some up and dropped it to them.”The book costs $35. There are 150 pages and a wide variety of subjects such as sailing, landscapes, taxis and horse races. It is available in bookstores and from the Craft Market in Dockyard, the St George's Historical Society and the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.There are a number of other new releases by Bermuda authors, many of them designed for families and young people.Joan Aspinall - Gombey Baby‘Gombey Baby' should thrill anyone who loves the gombeys. Author and illustrator Joan Aspinall collaborated with Irwin Trott, leader and founder of the Warwick Gombeys, on the project. The story is that a mother sings to her baby boy about his heritage with the rhythm of the drums. He hears her call. He hears her beat and the “raatta tat tat” of gombey drums.In the story, he flies with comets, skips over rainbows, dances in Africa. As far as Ms Aspinall's own association with the Gombeys, she said that like many other Bermudians, she grew up hearing them perform. In her case, she heard their beat over Shelton Road from Happy Valley.“I have a recollection from about three years of age, standing near Second Avenue, of a gombey troupe and a leader snapping his whip. I was terrified at the time, but as I grew older, I became a passionate about following the sounds of the drum. It took many years for the gombeys to be recognised for their cultural contributions. I think it is wonderful that they are reaping the attention and appreciation that they truly deserve for their dedication and hard training.”‘Gombey Baby' is available at Brown & Company, the Bermuda Bookstore, People's Pharmacy, The Craft Market, Robertson's Drugstore, Bermudiana in St George's, and Lindo's in Devonshire and Warwick.Cha'Von Clarke - Bermudian Christmas Stories for the Family‘The Bermudian Christmas Stories for the Family' book is a compilation of short stories and poems to celebrate the season and welcome in the New Year. Each story has a Bermudian theme. Four of the five were recognised in The Royal Gazette 2010 Christmas story competition including winning entry ‘The Christmas Gombey'. In the book, there are two stories for children and mature readers. There are also five New Year poems to uplift, embrace and celebrate family, friends and yourself. The book is meant to be a great gift for locals and overseas family and friends. Books are available at The Bookmart, Bermuda Bookstore and online at lulu.com. E-mail ckcbooks[AT]live.com for additional information and bulk orders.Colwyn Burchall - ‘Freedom's Flames - Slavery in Bermuda and the True Story of Sally Bassett'.This Christmas, Bermudian reading specialist and former middle school teacher Colwyn Burchall, Jr explores the story of Sally Bassett who was burned at the stake as a witch in the 1700s. ‘Freedom's Flames: Slavery in Bermuda and The True Story of Sally Bassett' is aimed at readers aged 11 and older. It details the reasons behind the decision, made by the men of the Somers Islands Company, to move away from indentured servitude and toward lifelong enslavement for the vast majority of Bermuda's Black and Indian population. Against this historical backdrop, Mr Burchall framed a discussion of the motivations that may have driven Sarah (Sally) Bassett, an elderly, enslaved Black woman hailing from the parish of Southampton, to attempt to murder her granddaughter's owners. The book is illustrated by Bermudian university student Che Caines and includes a review by Berkeley Institute student Waverly Moran.Elizabeth A. Mulderig - ‘Tiny and Sharkman Superheroes'.This Christmas, Ms Mulderig has released ‘Tiny and Sharkman Superheroes', edited by Deborah Jackson. The book is designed to promote the love of reading. In the book, Tiny the Tree Frog and Gilbert Pickles meet a magical sea wizard. He gives them a book of magical sea wizard knowledge, and the power to turn into superheroes. Pickles becomes ‘Sharkman'. His special power is reading, and he uses it to battle against the evil pirate ‘Ratter'. Ms Mulderig is well known for her Tiny the Tree Frog Series and also her Do-Boy series. She is also an illustrator and painter.