Reading Matters

Christmas gift guide: 12 subscriptions for bibliophiles, part 3

Welcome to the third, and final, part of my annual Christmas gift guide. (In case you missed them, part 1 is here and part 2 is here.)

This time around, it's a selection of gifts that keep on giving — and you don't even have to bother gift wrapping them! I couldn't think of anything more pleasing than a beautiful book, literary journal or magazine arriving at regular intervals throughout the year.

The following subscriptions have been arranged in order of price, from lowest to highest. Click on the hyperlink to find out more about the subscription and to order it direct from the relevant website.

We Love This Book magazine, £8.95 for 4 issues, We Love This Book

Whole Story Audiobooks, £15 per month for 1 audiobook (other plans available), Whole Story Audiobooks

And Other Stories, £20 for 2 paperbacks (other plans available), And Other Stories

Peirene Press, £25 for 3 paperbacks, Peirene Press

Granta magazine, from £32 for 12 months (four issues), Granta

London Review of Books, £33.97 for 12 months (other plans available), London Review of Books

Slightly Foxed, £36 for 12 months (four issues), Slightly Foxed

Bespoke book club, £39.99 for 3 months (other plans available), The Willoughby Book Club

The Dublin Review literary journal, €45 for 12 months (four issues), The Dublin Review

The Art of the Novella, $16.95 per month for 3 months (other plans available), Melville House

Persephone Books, £60 for 6 months (giftwrapping and postage not included), Persephone Books

Year-long book club membership (12 titles), £99, Pushkin Press

Christmas gift guide: 12 books and boxed sets for bibliophiles, part 2

Last Thursday I posted the first part of my annual Christmas gift guide  — and received a great response to it. Thanks to everyone who commented, emailed or tweeted about it. I'm glad so many of you enjoyed drooling over those literary-inspired gifts.

Here's the second part, which focuses on lovely hardcover gift books and boxed sets. Some of these have only just been published; others have been around for quite some time. I've chosen titles that particularly appeal to me, so if anyone is feeling particularly generous, any (or all) of these would be very welcome in my book-cluttered household!

Don't forget to come back next Thursday to see the third and final part of this gift guide, which will focus on gift vouchers and literary subscription services.

The following gifts have been arranged in order of price, from lowest to highest. Click on the hyperlink to find out more about the title and to order it direct from the relevant website. (Alternatively, you could ask your nearest independent book store to order it in for you.)

The Vintage Maugham Collection (10 paperbacks), £9.99, The Book People

Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford (hardcover gift edition), £10, Capuchin Classics

Voss by Patrick White (hardcover), £12.99, Everyman's Library

Dickens at Christmas (hardcover), £15, Vintage Classics

Havisham by Ronald Frame (hardcover), £16.99, Faber and Faber

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (paperback, fully updated for 2012), £20, Octopus Publishing Group

Penguin Classics Hardback Editions (various titles), £20, Penguin

The Essential Camus Boxed Set (4 Penguin Modern Classics in slipcase), £23.99, The Book Depository

The Palliser Novels by Anthony Trollope (6 paperbacks in slipcase), £40, Oxford University Press

In Search of Venice — Limited Edition Gift Box Set by Pushkin Press (5 paperbacks in slipcase), £60, Amazon.co.uk

The Complete Ripley Novels by Patricia Highsmith (5 hardcover volumes in slipcase), £68.99, Amazon.co.uk

The Complete Paddington (12 hardcover volumes in slipcase), £225, The Folio Society

Note that prices were correct at the time this was compiled but are subject to change. Are there any on this list that you'd like Santa to leave under the tree?

Christmas gift guide: 10 presents for bibliophiles, part 1

Do you realise that Christmas is less than six weeks away?

Time to think about what to get the book lover in your life, or maybe drop a hint to family and friends about what you'd like to see under the tree this year.

If you are stumped for ideas, don't fret — Reading Matters is here to help. Over the next three weeks — November 15, 22 & 29 — I will be publishing a three-part gift guide to inspire, delight and drool over! Part 1 is themed around objects inspired by literature, part 2 is for drool-worthy books, and part 3 is for literary subscription services.

The following gifts have been arranged in order of price, from lowest to highest. Click on the hyperlink to order from the relevant website.

Alice in Wonderland tea-towel (other designs available), £9.95, What the Dickens?

Book Lover's Calendar, £9.99, Calendar Club

Literary coaster set, £14, Bookish

Electronic dictionary bookmark, £17.95, Gilt Edged Collection

Wuthering Heights T-shirt, £19.95, The Literary Gift Company

Bagabook carry case, £19.95, presentsformen.co.uk

Classic book cover for Kindle, £28, Not On The High Street.com

Enlightenment book lamp, €59 for the first 500 orders, Light Up Your World (Dutch compay)

Polished steel elephant book ends, £85, Flip Design

Fully Booked (limited edition) tent, £495, FieldCandy

Note that prices and availability are subject to change, but were correct at the time this guide was compiled. Please do come back next Thursday to see part 2, and the following Thursday for part 3.

Christmas gift guide: 10 presents for book lovers, part 2

Yesterday I focused on gifts inspired by literature; today I focus on gifts that are literature.

I've tried to concentrate on books and magazines that are a little bit special — anyone can give a bestselling paperback or hardcover, but it takes a bit more thought and effort to find something that looks as good as the contents inside.

Of course, there's always the danger that the recepient may already have read the book you're giving, so that's why I've included a book token in this list.

The gifts are listed in order of price, from low to high.

Note that prices, availability and links are subject to change without notice, but were correct at the time I compiled this. The prices quoted do not include any postage or packaging charges. And fear not: this is not a sponsored post, these are merely fun items I've discovered while scooting around the internet. I haven't accepted payment or anything in return for featuring them on this page. Just so you know.

Book token, £5 (other denominations available), Book Gift Vouchers

Subscription to We Love This Book magazine, £8.95 for 4 issues, We Love This Book

 

Penguin Great Loves Collection, £9.99, The Book People

Subscription to London Review of Books, £12 for 6 months (other offers available), London Review of Books

 

Virago Modern Classics Hardback Designer Collection, £12.99 each, Amazon.co.uk

Virginia Woolf 70th Anniversary Hardbacks, £14 each, Penguin

 

Subscription to And Other Stories, 4 books (not pictured — these are the titles from 2011) for £35, And Other Stories

 

Gift subscription, including cotton tote bag, to Peirene Press, 6 books for £45 (other offers available), Peirene Press

Notting Hill Editions Gift Box Number One, £54.95 (reduced from £70), Notting Hill Editions

John Wyndham: Three Novels, £79.95, The Folio Society

Hope this helps your Christmas planning! If there's anything you fancy for yourself, just email this permalink to your loved ones as a not-so-subtle hint.

Christmas gift guide: 10 presents for book lovers, part 1

Yikes. How did that happen? One minute it was summer, the next it was LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS 'TIL CHRISTMAS.

But have no fear. The bookish Christmas fairy is here to help.

Just as I did last year (see here and here), I've put together a two-part Christmas gift guide with some fun suggestions for the book lovers in your life.

The following gifts, which have been arranged by price from low to high, are inspired by literature. Tomorrow I will concentrate on books and magazines as gifts.

Note that prices, availability and links are subject to change without notice, but were correct at the time I compiled this. The prices quoted do not include any postage or packaging charges. And fear not: this isn't a sponsored post, these are merely fun items I've discovered while scooting around the internet. I haven't accepted payment or anything in return for featuring them on this page. Just so you know.

I Love Darcy Lip Balm (four flavours available), £4.99, The Jane Austen Centre

Novel Teas: 25 Literary Tea Bags, £7.99, What The Dickens?

 

I Capture The Castle Strong Canvas Shopper, £9.95, The Literary Gift Company

 

365 Penguin Classics To Read Before You Die Desk Calendar 2012, £9.99, Calendar Club

 

Faublous Woman Gift Bundle, includes book and chocolate bar (other bundles available), £11.99, The Chocolate Library

 

London Transport bookend — Black cab and Routemaster, £18.40 each, Not On The High Street.Com

In Cold Blood T-shirt (Men's), £25, Bookish

Book laptop case, £33.99, I Want One Of Those

 

 

 Bedside Booklight, £41.99 (free delivery), Firebox

 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! full text poster (other designs available), £62.99 (unframed), Spineless Classics

Hope this helps your Christmas planning! If there's anything you fancy for yourself, just email this permalink to your loved ones as a not-so-subtle hint. Remember to come back tomorrow for more gift suggestions.

10 gifts for book lovers, part 2

Following on from last week's 10 gifts for book lovers, part 1, here's another load of gift suggestions for bibliophiles.

This time I've concentrated on traditional books, and tried to include titles, subscriptions and sets which are special for one reason or another. 

As ever, please note that prices, availability and links are subject to change without notice, but were correct at the time I compiled this. And remember the prices quoted do not include any postage or packaging charges.

The books are arranged by price, from low to high.

Melville House Publishing "Art of the Novella" series (35 titles), from £5.99 each, Amazon.co.uk

 

Following The Detectives edited by Maxim Jakubowski (paperback), £17.99, New Holland Publishers

 

The Granta Book of the Irish Short Story edited by Anne Enright (hardcover), £25, Granta Books

 

A book subscription to Peirene Press, £45 for 6 books (other offers available), Peirene Press

 

Revolutionary Writing series - 8 classic novels, £47.94 if you take advantage of 3 for the price of 2 offer, Faber & Faber

 

A book subscription to Persephone, £54 for 6 books, Persephone Books

 

The Bloomsbury Group - "lost classics" from the early 20th century, £59.90 for all 10 books, or £5.99 each, Bloomsbury

 

 

Set of six F. Scott Fitzgerald 70th anniversary novels (hardcover), £89.95 for all 6 books, or £14.95 each, Penguin

 

 

Membership to the Pushkin Press Book Club, £99 for one year (which includes one book a month), Pushkin Press

 

The Everyman's Contemporary Classics set (76 volumes), £1,070 ($1732.40), Everyman's Library

Hope this helps your Christmas planning! If there are any particularly generous readers out there, I'm quite partial to those Everyman's Library volumes...

10 gifts for book lovers, part 1

Christmas might be six weeks away, but if you hate shopping as much as me, the best way to take the stress out of it is to buy everything online -- and then make sure you're at home to take delivery!

But what do you buy the bookish person in your life if you're not sure what they've read? Well, something inspired by literature might be a start.

Here's 10 literary-inspired gifts that are sure to delight bookish family and friends. And if there's anything you fancy for yourself, just email this permalink to your loved ones as a not-so-subtle hint.

Note that prices, availability and links are subject to change without notice, but were correct at the time I compiled this. And remember the prices quoted do not include any postage or packaging charges.

The gifts are arranged by price, from low to high.

London Review Bookshop vouchers, £5, London Review Bookshop

Set of 20 adhesive "Botanical tulip" bookplates, £3.70 ($6), Laurel Ink

Spiral-bound book journal and matching book mark, £6.50, Paperchase

"She is too fond of books..." tote bag, £8.95, The Literary Gift Company

 

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie poster print 59cm x 84cm, £9.95, Popart UK

Umbra Conceal Invisible Bookshelf, £10.50, Henry Tibbs

Keep Calm and Carry On skin for the latest Amazon Kindle, £12.32 ($19.95), Gelaskins

Men's black "I'd Rather Be Reading" t-shirt (other colours available), £18.50, Cafe Press

 

Falling Books Bookend (red and green versions also available), £22.50, Design My World

 
The Great Penguin Bookchase board game, £29.95, Art Meets Matter

 

Next week, I'll post 10 more gift suggestions focussing on drool-worthy books...

A stool for booklovers

Here's another quirky gift for the booklover in your life!

Yes. It's a stool. Made out of fake books.

And it's only £39.99 from I Want One Of Those.

It looks pretty uncomfortable to me, but then I suppose you could stick a cushion on it if you wanted.

A chopping board for booklovers

Know a foodie who also likes to read? How about presenting them with this chopping board designed to look like a book?

According to the spiel on the website where I found this little beautie, it's made by hand using walnut for the 'binding' and maple for the 'book pages'.

Furthermore -- wait for it -- "It's the ultimate hardback."

Groan. Who writes these puns?

A clock for booklovers

Here's an interesting Christmas gift for a book lover. Yes, it's a clock.

Made out of books.

And there are others in the range, too.

It's not my cup of tea, but if you've got a spare £16.99 you might like to indulge yourself...