2022 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for the Book Lover

From first edition printings to collectible multi-volume sets, early childhood favorites to historical memoirs, we've rounded up some of our favorite gifts for the book lover in your life. Presented in their original dust jackets or beautifully bound in gilt-stamped leather or marbled boards, these books will make stunning additions to any rare book collection.

This is a first edition of the classic Hemingway novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. An unembellished, blunt commentary on the nature of war and death, the book draws inspiration from Hemingway’s time as a war correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance during the Spanish Civil War. The book was published in October of 1940 by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, in an initial print run of 75,000 copies and received strong praise, "This is the best book Ernest Hemingway has written, the fullest, the deepest, the truest. It will, I think, be one of the major novels of American literature. Hemingway has struck universal chords and he has struck them vibrantly" (J. Donald Adams). A true collectible with its original dust jacket, this is the perfect gift for any lover of 20th century literature. 

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, In Three Volumes Complete, 1955, 1956

Consider gifting J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. This handsome, three-volume complete set includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. All first editions, the books were published by Allen & Unwin in London in 1955-56. This set was crafted with the ultimate Tolkien fan in mind: all three books have been exquisitely rebound in full Moroccan leather and the front and back boards are blind and gilt embossed with a striking design, a combination of “The One Ring” and Tolkien’s monogram. The three volumes are gold tooled throughout and presented in a custom-made archival lined slipcase. Having forever changed the landscape of high-fantasy writing, J.R.R Tolkien and his books continue to inspire and delight new generations of readers and writers. 

Memoirs, Correspondence, and Private Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Late President of the United States, Edited by Thomas Jefferson Randolph, Second Edition, Four Volume Set, 1830

Thomas Jefferson began writing his memoir on January 6, 1821 for his family and descendants rather than the public. As such, the memoir lacks his typical polished diction used in his professional writings and gives a fantastic insight into the personality of the young nation’s third president. The majority of the volumes are made up of Jefferson’s correspondences with other notable figures such as George Washington and Patrick Henry. The letters range from 1774 and 1786 and cover topics such as the formation of the U.S. government, the Revolutionary War, and the hotly debated political boundaries of the time. Hand-picked by editor and grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph from over 70,000 papers Jefferson left, this four-volume set includes some of the most high-profile topics of Jefferson’s life. Gift this beautiful red leather and marbled board set to any history-lover who is fascinated with the lives of the early founders. 

Vintage Underwood Standard Typewriter No. 5, 1924

Perfect for the book lover who fashions themselves as a writer as well, this vintage Underwood Standard Typewriter No. 5 model dates to 1924. A glorious black and gold typewriter, the No. 5 was the most successful of the early Underwood typewriter models and would look fantastic in a study, on a bookshelf, or in an office. Many famous authors, including Ernest Hemingway, Ray Bradbury, Arthur Conan Doyle, Norman Mailer, and William S. Burroughs, wrote on Underwood typewriters. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories, by Truman Capote, First Edition, First Printing, 1958

This is the first edition, first printing of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote's classic novella chronicling the adventures of the free-spirited Holly Golightly. Published by Random House in 1958, the novella received glowing reviews: "If you want to capture a period in New York, no other book has done it so well. He could capture a period and place like few others" (Norman Mailer). The novella was quickly adapted for the 1961 hit film starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. A true collectible, this would be the perfect gift for fans of Truman Capote's writing or the iconic film!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Two Volume Set, 1943

 Presented are Charlotte and Emily Brontë’s two masterpieces of gothic fiction Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, presented in a much sought-after, two-volume set as published by Random House in 1943. What sets this pairing apart from other collectible editions are the many woodcut illustrations by Fritz Eichenberg. Throughout the books are full and in-text illustrations, printed letterpress from electrotypes of Eichenberg’s original woodcuts. Inked in a rich black, the woodcuts superbly fit the gothic undertones of the novels they illustrate, capturing the windswept landscapes and dramatic emotions of both tales. 

Vintage "1776" Brass American Eagle Bookends by Colonial Virginia

The unsung hero of the bookcase, no book collection is complete without a pair or two of beautiful bookends. These appealing vintage brass bookends depict a spread-wing bald eagle perched on a rectangular base. The base is stamped with the date “1776.” The bookends were made by Colonial Virginia, a crafter working out of Hampton, Virginia in 1972. The realistic detail of the eagle is accentuated even more when light hits the reflective brass surface. A handsome vintage set- perfect for holiday gifting!

Bambi by Felix Salten, Illustrated by Kurt Wiese, Early American Printing, 1931

Cultivate the love of reading in our next generation of young book lovers with this early American printing of Felix Salten’s noted children's novel, Bambi: A Life in the Woods. Originally published in German in 1923, Bambi was translated into English by Whittaker Chambers and first published in New York by Simon and Schuster in July of 1928. The printing available here is a 1931 printing by Grosset & Dunlay. The book, presented in its original green cloth stamped boards, has a forward by John Galsworthy and delightful woodcut illustrations by Kurt Wiese. From the outset of its publication, Salten's Bambi proved incredibly popular, so much so that it sold six hundred and fifty thousand copies in the dozen-plus years before Bambi was adapted into the well-known and beloved 1942 Disney film. In his forward, novelist John Galsworthy called the book “a little masterpiece."