Billions of Besties: A Celebration of Fascinating and Simply Exceptional Friendships

Prefaced with a fillable bookplate “To my bestie / from your bestie,” this sunny volume collects profiles of best-bud duos and cliques, be they real, fictional, or non-sentient. The besties are organized by categories, such as “Classics,” (Oprah and Gayle), “Hollywood” (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), “Changemakers” (Bill Gates and Warren Buffett), “Squads” (Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer), and “Goodies” (champagne and caviar). Wry summaries share how these friends connected and what they’ve come to signify in American culture. For instance, The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s Mary and Rhoda were TV besties “who became unlikely heroes for single working women everywhere” while Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Congressman John Lewis united under the righteous bond of “good trouble.” Many pairings are lighthearted (Bert and Ernie; peanut butter and jelly; Ken and Barbie), but some are unusual bonds, such as mutual admirers Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or George Harrison and Eric Clapton, whose friendship thrived even after the latter married the former’s ex-wife (“I’d rather she be with him than some dope,” Harrison is quoted as saying). Opposites also attract: such as politically polar Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonin Scalia or “bold and capricious” Captain Kirk and “the überlogical” Mr. Spock. Panosh’s simple line-art looks like it’d be at home on a greeting card passed between friends and is appropriately upbeat. This cheery package is ready-made for a just-thinking-of-you gift. (Oct.)