Whether you’re after a gift for relatives, friends, lovers or even yourself, you can’t go past one of these beautiful new books. Each one is a fantastic standalone art piece on your coffee table, a conversation starter, a chance for a casual flick or the opportunity for a full sit down to read with a cup of coffee. Beautifully illustrated and lovingly compiled, one of these books is sure to be the perfect gift for someone special in your life.
Best gift for: people who like working with their hands, fans of traditional trades and anyone looking for a hobby.
This book is the hobbyist's dream. Learn everything from how to make your own smoked chorizo, to how to fashion a wheel for a pull-along canon. Other highlights include discovering how to press vinyl, foray into beekeeping, carve a spoon and create your own beard oil. It’s a collection of trades and life lessons from a bygone era.
Best gift for: book lovers, writers and deep thinkers.
What happens when artists, designers, writers and creatives all get together to pick apart every physical aspect of a book? The Thing, The Book happens. A collaborative art and literary project that’s completely unique, this compendium of thoughts is a great romp for anyone who appreciates books, quirks and thinking outside the box. The book itself is a constant surprise, with little treasure troves of insights hidden throughout.
Best gift for: fans, graphic artists and anyone who appreciates comics.
Follow the career of this artistic legend in the second edition of his self-titled book. This book depicts his working drawings, rough drafts, character development and graphic artistry over 25 years and coherently shows his progression as an artist. Most famously known as the creator of The Gorillaz and Tank Girl, this book spans his diverse career and predominantly allows the images to speak for themselves. Be quick to get your hands on this book as the first edition sold out within two weeks!
Best gift for: avid gardeners, dreamers and lovers of beauty in nature.
Be taken on a journey through the world of private gardens on every continent. The photographs depict almost ethereal spaces, hinting at an atmosphere of complete peace and tranquillity. Gain an exclusive insight into the emotional value of these gardens, why they exist and who maintains them, and learn what plants thrive in which climates around the globe. Flick through the pages and soak in the contentment that these gardens aim to provide.
Best gift for: botanists, illustrators, scientists and anyone with an appreciation for plants.
This book perfectly combines the artistic with the scientific in a beautiful homage to the study of botany. It includes photographs, cutting-edge micrograph scans, watercolours, drawings and prints of plants from all over the world. From the poisonous, to the life-saving and intriguingly unique, this coffee table book is a delight for anyone to flick through.
Best gift for: bartenders, bar owners and fans.
The only book produced by renowned bartender Sasha Petraske, owner of the famed London speakeasy style bar, Milk and Honey. Find 75 varieties of cocktail within the pages, from the much loved classics to the more modern. Stories from the bartenders that Sasha personally trained are also included, outlining how Petraske’s methods lead to the incredible success of Milk and Honey.
Best gift for: experimentalists, mixologists and anyone who loves a good cocktail.
Written by one of Sasha Petraske’s protegees, this book closely follows the format of Regarding Cocktails, but with more of an experimental approach. Enjoy over 300 recipes, interwoven with anecdotes, for a delightfully informative read. Learn how to throw the ultimate cocktail party, complete with a guide to speakeasy style, the perfect au d'oeuvres to serve and social etiquette to observe.
Best gift for: fans of Where’s Wally, millennials and adults who are really kids at heart.
A beautifully illustrated, witty and trendy picture book-come-search and find. Each double page scene depicts events that occur in the typical weekend of various city-dwelling twenty-somethings. You’ll find the characters at a live gig, an artisanal bakery, an art gallery and a bookshop social event. Some of the things you’ll be encouraged to find are a well dressed cat, three dirty cereal bowls, six cups of to-go coffee, a robin with a ribbon, Monica’s missing contact lens and six girls wearing their sunglasses at night.
Best gift for: wilderness romantics, campers, trekkers and anyone who loves the outdoors.
This book is all about fire: how to start one, maintain one and stop one. It’s a practical guide with poetic elements, exploring fire’s history, myth and legend amongst many cultures. It also outlines the purpose of wildfires in the ecological environment and how to manage fire safety. This book is part anecdotal, part instructional, part historical and a little bit romantic. Side note: also a great gift for that friend that you know is preparing for the zombie apocalypse.
Best gift for: architects, designers and transient people who value sustainability, good design and minimalist living.
This book is a step up from the small home movement. It’s the small, moveable home. Inside its covers is a massive variety of space-efficient, transportable homes with a focus on design, style and minimalism. Each home profile includes concept drawings, stunning photographs and interviews with the designer and inhabitant. Featuring temporary homes from all over the globe, there are houses on water, on wheels, in trees and in space.
Still haven’t found the perfect gift?
We’re throwing in an eleventh book just for fun. Because what smartphone wielding twenty-something hasn’t experienced a Tinder Nightmare?
Best gift for: anyone who has searched for love in a hopeless place (thanks, Rihanna).
If you’ve found your true love on Tinder, congratulations! It’s a rare occurrence when the App in question appears to be rife with tacky pick-up lines, unusual requests, questionable nudes and the horrific crime of truly terrible grammar. So what do you do when you feel jaded with the whole pursuit of love? This book is a testament to the fact that the best cure may be laughter. It’s a compilation of Tinder’s worst conversations, or in some cases, one word hit-ons. So grab this little pocket rocket paperback for a friend in need of a chuckle and a piece of commiseration.
Buying Christmas beard gifts for the man in your life can be tricky no matter if they are your brother, boyfriend or dad, even the bearded ones.
However, if the guy has a beard, you can be certain that some beard care items and or some form of facial hair item will be loved and cherished way beyond Christmas time.
