Books are tricky gifts. They’re bulky, heavy items. They spend most of their life on the shelf, unread. They make moving house a pain. Ebooks are a lot more practical, in most cases, but you can’t giftwrap an ebook. And they don’t feel as special.
I’ve tried to pick books that do work well on paper. Either you’ll return to them repeatedly, or they have an interactive component, or some other quality that means they’re worthy of their physical presence.
13th December, 2021
I wouldn’t describe myself as a fan of brutalist architecture, but I’ve always appreciated its intent. It’s straightforward and functional. It wanted low-cost housing to be available to everyone. And when a building focuses entirely on functionality, the emotional warmth comes entirely from the family and the community. The utopian shine hasn’t stuck to the buildings, but the style still has some fans. Maybe your gift recipient is one of them?
14th November, 2021
An important role for an uncle/aunt is fostering a little rebellion in their nieces & nephews. Not too much - don’t buy them drugs or The Anarchist Cookbook - but a book that encourages its own destruction is about right. Books are normally sacred, and need to be looked after; this one wants you to drag it through mud, roll it down hills, and glue things into it. Buy on Amazon UK, Amazon CA, or Amazon US.
10th November, 2021
I’ve never read S, but I’ve always thought the concept was fun. It’s a story within a story: there’s the book itself, but it also includes letters, inserts, margin notes, and others which tell a larger story about two readers of the book and the mysteries around the author. It was written by Doug Dorst, but originally pitched by JJ Abrams - so it has a solid storytelling pedigree. This New York Times interview gives a good taste of it, along with a couple of photos.