Bookish Christmas Gifts Ideas

Christmas is coming, and I thought some of you may be in need of some ideas for bookish gifts to either offer your dear ones or to ask Santa Claus for. Expect not only books, but also other items which are in one way or another connected with them. Some of them I own, while others are on my wish list. Not that I expect many book-related gifts, as nowadays people offer me other things, since they are not sure about which books I already own.

Books

A book with a beautiful cover is always a fantastic idea for a Christmas gift. Even if the person already owns that book, it may not be in a particular stunning edition. For Jane Austen lovers, I hugely recommend the Vintage Classics Austen Series. I have Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey in these editions, but you can get all of her main novels wrapped up in gorgeous covers with French flaps.

But if you don’t know anyone who is a Jane Austen fan (which I doubt), you may have a friend who loves Russian classics. The Vintage Classics Russian Series features many books I’m also looking forward to reading and that may appeal to many people. Anna Karenina and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov are some of the books in this series.

If Virginia Woolf is the author you are looking for, her books are available in the stunning Vintage Classics Woolf Series. I own Orlando, but plan to buy a few more of her books in these editions, which would also be a great gift for Woolf fans.

In case you don’t know who is your friends’ favourite author but know a topic or an animal they love, you may consider buying one of the Everyman’s Library Pocket Classics. They gather stories about dogs, cats, crime and many other subjects. I don’t own any of these, so I can’t vouch for the quality of the content, but I want to buy a few in the future.

You may also wish to try to convince those friends who are not book lovers that reading is fantastic. To pursue that endeavour, I recommend the Penguin Black Classics. Their size won’t scare the reluctant future readers off, and so you may be able to bring them to the bookish side of the population. Short stories, poems, excerpts from bigger books – there are many options available. They are also great stocking fillers.

For the younger ones in your family (or just for those who will always have a child inside them), Harry Potter remains a suitable option. The first three Harry Potter books and the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them have been published in illustrated editions, and they are stunning.

Book-related Items

When you’re not sure about which books to offer, because the person you’re buying a gift for already owns too many books, a book-related item may be the best option. There are so many mugs, keyrings, stationery and jewellery items available both online and in physical stores that the most difficult part will be to buy only one. The first thing you need to do is to discover your friend’s favourite book, character or author. And then you just have to choose the item you think they will like the most. I’ve recently discovered the Book Lover Gifts store and they have many beautiful bookish items to sell.

If you’re looking for something to add to a book gift, then a bookmark is an essential. I know I can’t get enough of them!