So I got a gift certificate to Amazon.com for my birthday and I'd like to buy a cake book. But what's a good book to buy? I've got Confetti Cakes (Elisa Strauss), Cakes To Dream On (Colette Peters), and a few Debbie Brown books. But I'd like a book that has lots of pictures, maybe some templates and instructions. I'm not so into the recipes, simply because I have my own already. My main focus is the pictures. I love to use these books for inspiration and ideas for my cakes...so photos are a MUST.

Anybody got any suggestions?

I really like Toba Garrett's Well Decorated Cake
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1402717733/?tag=cakecentral-20

There are a lot of techniques I'm sure I'll NEVER be able to do, but the pictures are just gorgeous and it has a lot of very helpful information. And, hey, those super advanced techniques just give me something to strive for.

I second that on Toba's book. Great book!!

I love the Whimsical Bakehouse books, especially "Fun to Make Cakes that Taste as Good as They Look". They use only buttercream techniques--no fondant. The book also includes some chocolate techniques. I emailed one of the authors with some questions, and she got right back to me, which I thought was nice. And I love the House Buttercream recipe.

If you like pix, get Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes book. Not much in the way of how to, but wonderful for inspiration.