During the holiday season, there is the constant looming question of what to buy for various people — from immediate family to the neighbor down the street. Picking out gifts that a person will value is tricky, and finding the right present at the appropriate price point adds additional challenges. Fortunately, a book can be the perfect gift for literally anyone!
Here are some suggestions for gifting books to those you love.
Etiquette
If it is a hardcover with a dust jacket, chances are that the price of the book will be on the upper corner on the inside flap. Clip this corner off at a diagonal so that the price is removed. If the price is on the back of the book, just leave it.
Make it Personal
Unless it is a book or author you know the recipient wants or likes, always choose a book that you have already read and enjoyed. It is dangerous business to recommend and give a book that you haven’t read!
Always write a short note to the recipient. On the first or second page, at the very least put the date, their name and your name. This makes it a deeply personal gift that will be remembered for as long as the recipient has the book, which could be generations.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Children:
Children build so many memories with their favorite books, and having their own library, however big or small, is exciting for them. Gifts can range from board books and pictures books to fine editions of children’s novels.
Even for a baby, giving a fine edition of your favorite childhood classic is an appropriate gift. Chances are that they are already receiving plenty of toys, and while they will not be able to enjoy or appreciate the book right away, you will be building a priceless library that will be invaluable as they grow, long after the plastic gismo made in China has bitten the dust.
If the child is a little older, find out what authors they enjoy, or if there is a series they are really passionate about.
Adult Family and Close Friends:
Old editions: Find their favorite book in an old, beautiful edition — or even a first edition — for an elegant, superb gift. Search for these in used bookstores, eBay and Amazon.
Fine editions: There are many different options here. From the mass-produced classics to limited editions, you can spend $20 or $2,000. Please see the listing below for suggestions on different fine edition publishers.
New favorites: Buying a loved one a new book they haven’t read by a favorite author, or on a favorite topic, makes a wonderful gift. You can also choose one of your own personal favorite books to share with them.
Acquaintances:
If you don’t know someone very well, pegging their reading taste can be a little harder. In this case, a book for their coffee table is always a nice choice, but again, try to make it personal. If they love skiing, give them a beautiful book of Colorado photography.
Another option is to give a book that is a personal favorite and means a lot to you, as long as you think that they may also enjoy it. This is also a wonderful way to connect with someone on a deeper level and grow the relationship. Classics are typically safe choices, but try to get a nicer edition.
If the recipient isn’t a big reader, think of an activity they enjoy. Nice cookbooks are always wonderful gifts, as are gardening books. If they enjoy fly fishing, for example, give them a book on tying flies.
Suggestions for Fine Editions
The Folio Society: These are my personal favorites. Most are linen-bound which makes them more readable than leather, which can be heavy to hold for long periods. They print on fine cotton paper, choose a beautiful typeset and always have illustrations or pictures, whether it is a children’s book or an adult’s, fiction or non-fiction. The commissioned illustrator also designs the cover, which comes in a slipcase — thus no dust jackets. They also have a fine collection of limited editions. These are published in England, so make allowances for the extra shipping time if buying for Christmas.
The Easton Press: Arguably the finest publisher in America. These leather-bound editions with 22 karat gold gilded pages make stunning additions to any library. They are perhaps best known for their “Greatest Books of All Time” series, but they also have a broad range of both children’s and adult literature … from classics and biographies, to special editions on Disney movies. They also have a wonderful selection of limited editions.
Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions: These are significantly cheaper than Folio and Easton Press editions, starting around $20 per copy, which is a similar price point to most hardcovers. Bound in faux leather, these are great choices for the non-collector who still wants the leather-look of a fine edition sitting on his or her shelf.
Penguin Hardcover Classics: These are similar in price-point to the Barnes & Noble editions, but are bound in linen. They each have a different image that is designed in a pattern on the cover — for example, The Count of Monte Cristo has masks.
Penguin Drop Caps: This series of classics by Penguin has one book for each letter of the alphabet, chosen for the author. “A” is for Austen, for example, and the book is Pride and Prejudice. Each letter is artfully and uniquely designed on a cover with a different colored background, making it a beautiful rainbow collection.
Everyman’s Library: These classics are available for both adult and children’s literature. They come with dust jackets, but I always remove them on my copies so that the rich garnet or blue linen covers are exposed. They are a very sensible choice for a nice, hardcover edition and have a very extensive list of titles.
Norton Annotated Editions: For the scholar in the family, these books are wonderful options. They have a great selection of large, beautiful hardcover classics with illustrations and wide margins on each page full of notations on the text. From Grimm’s Fairy Tales to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, these are perfect for the forever-student.
The Beehive Press: This Southern publisher in Savannah, Ga. specializes in immortalizing Southern literature in beautiful editions. Their books range from Southern classics to books on architecture, history and even nature –– such as the new limited edition of John Abbot’s Birds of Georgia, featuring the first publication in book form of any of his bird drawings.
For more book edition suggestions and reviews, visit our blog, Cola Town {Curated} on ColumbiaMetro.com/Cola-Town-Curated.
