Any sensible person would agree that books make great holiday gifts, but not everyone is wholly confident selecting books for others, even others who they know are readers.
Not me. I’m happy to tell everyone what they should be reading. And if you want a handy expert local to you, check with your friendly independent bookseller to help you pick out a title targeted to the important gift-receiving people in your life.
But maybe you want a gift for the book lover in your life that’s a little extra special, the kind of gift that will endure past the pleasure of reading a book. Here’s some suggestions for the season.
A nice coffee table book
There’s no shortage of these in the world, but let me suggest a few recent and enduring favorites of mine.
“The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing” by Adam Moss has had a permanent spot on my coffee table since its 2024 release. A series of essays and interviews, gorgeously illustrated and annotated, explore how creative people — playwrights, painters, musicians, sculptors, etc. — make the things that move us.
You’d need to be a classic rock fan for “Fleetwood Mac All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track” by Olivier Roubin and Romuald Ollivier to appeal, but for the right person, this would be a great gift that would significantly enhance their enjoyment of the group.
David David Macauley’s classic illustrated books, “Cathedral,” “Pyramid” and “Castle,” in which he tells the story of how these monuments were built and impacted the lives of the people in and around them, may be 50 years old, but they are enduring pleasures for all ages.
A collectable book
This is a gift I get myself once a year, where I choose a particular favorite book and then buy a first edition copy, signed if the cost isn’t prohibitive. Depending on the author and age of the book, this can range from very affordable to not so affordable. There’s a first edition of Flannery O’Connor’s “Wise Blood” that’ll run you over $5,000 that I’ve had my eye on for years in case I win the lottery. If first editions are hard to come by, consider a foreign edition with a unique or special cover.
Online used book marketplaces like AbeBooks are great places to poke around, as are actual used bookstores, where you never know what you might find.
The USPS Literary Arts stamp series
From 1979 to 2024, the United States Postal Service issued a series of stamps honoring literary figures like John Steinbeck, Edith Wharton, Ursula K. Le Guin, Dorothy Parker and dozens of others. The most recent stamp is Chicago’s own Saul Bellow. Each stamp features original artwork representing the author. The entire set can be found for reasonable prices at stamp dealers or online sellers such as eBay.
Literary quotation clock
Okay, true confession, I’m borrowing this from The New York Times Wirecutter suggestions because once I saw it, I thought it was the coolest thing, and I want it, so I figure putting it here may cause it to manifest itself under the tree. The Author Clock is an e-ink display that tells you the time each minute of the day using a literary quotation that contains that exact time, as in this quote from Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History,” “I had meant to sleep only a few hours, but I woke with a start the next morning to find sunlight pouring in and the clock reading, five of nine.”
Apparently, it also updates when new examples are available. I don’t know how they figured this out, but I want it.
Do you hear that, loved ones? I want it!
John Warner is the author of books including “More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.” You can find him at biblioracle.com.
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.
1. “Mark Twain” by Ron Chernow
2. “The First Gentleman” by James Patterson and Bill Clinton
3. “JFK: Public, Private, Secret” by J. Randy Taraborrelli
4. “Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and The Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church” by Philip Shenon
5. “Songs in Ordinary Time” by Mary McGarry Morris
— Tom F., Chicago
For Tom, I’m recommending a book that’s stuck with me for a long time, “Jewel” by Bret Lott.
1. “James” by Percival Everett
2. “The Trees” by Percival Everett
3. “Trust” by Hernán Díaz
4. “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens
5. “Say Nothing” by Patrick Radden Keefe
— Nicholas P., Chicago
Maybe something a bit less heavy than this list, but still has the qualities that I think will appeal to Nicholas: “Brooklyn” by Colm Tóibín.
1. “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon
2. “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt
3. “10:04” by Ben Lerner
4. “Olive, Again” by Elizabeth Strout
5. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano
— Ellen P., Northfield
I’m going with a recently reviewed book that I’ve been continuing to recommend widely, “The Ten Year Affair” by Erin Somers.
Get a reading from the Biblioracle
Send a list of the last five books you’ve read and your hometown to biblioracle@gmail.com.
