A signed first edition is an excellent present, but there are other choices when buying for book lovers this holiday season. Gifting beautiful books has been a tradition since the early 1800s. ‘Gift Books’ were designed to be personalized, then given and enjoyed by loved ones. With the popularity of Instagram and BookTok, the demand for aesthetically pleasing books has grown even more in recent years.
Compact, affordable, and easy to wrap, beautiful books make perfect gifts. Read on for a few suggestions to help you find a first-rate literary present without breaking the bank.
Leatherbound
Leather-bound books are a classic gift for a bibliophile. Nothing elevates the look and feel of literature like the exquisite covers, raised spines, gold accents, and other marks of fine craftsmanship that grace these books. Multiple options are available, and this symbol of lasting quality ensures the story you give will be cherished for years to come.
The Easton Press
Easton Press has specialized in premium leather-bound books since 1975. Bound in fine leather with sewn-in pages, archival quality paper, fabric endpapers, page ends gilded in 22 karat gold, ribbon books marked, and raised spine hubs all lend distinction and time-tested durability to their publications. Their extensive collection includes the series The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written, The Library of the Presidents, and Masterpieces of American Literature, among others. Distinct editions include Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom, The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagley, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagley.
The Franklin Library
The Franklin Library, owned by The Franklin Mint, printed classic books from 1973 until it closed in 2000. These books included over fifty titles in the Great Books of the Western World series and The Hundred Greatest Books of All Time. Books released by The Franklin Library came in full leather, leatherette, or quarter-bound leather (leather spines over cloth boards. Books featured gilded edges, raised spine hubs, high-quality paper, satin bookmarks, and 22-carat gold decorations. Classics include Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir.
Gryphon Editions
Gryphon Editions are similar to Easton Press and Franklin Library in appearance, but their catalog centers around classic titles in Law, Medicine, Science, History, and Political Thought. To find these on BIBLIO, search ‘Gryphon Editions’ in Advanced Search under ‘Publisher.’ You will find selections from their Notable Trials Library like The Andersonville Trial, The Trials of Oscar Wilde, and The Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Charles Lindbergh’s baby son, as well as On Chloroform and Other Anesthetics and Medical Ethics.
Word Cloud Classics
Word Cloud Classics are brightly Covered Flexible Leatherbound books with foiled stamped titles and leather tooled quotes. Published by Canterbury Classics, these books are so affordable, especially second-hand, you could put together a few titles as a tidy little present, like The Great Gatsby and The Beautiful and the Damned by F.Scott Fitzgerald, or Pride and Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen. Search ‘Word Cloud Classics’ in keyword search, or, in Advanced Search, type in your chosen title or author along with the keywords.
Fine Press
Fine Press books are the haute couture of the literary world. Meticulously crafted, every detail, from the choice of paper to the typography and binding, receives exquisite attention. Fine press books are not just about the words on the page; they celebrate the beauty and craftsmanship achieved when literature meets artistry. If you know someone who loves books, a Fine Press title elevates your gift-giving to a whole new level, giving them something to adore and cherish for the rest of their lives.
The Folio Society
Since 1947, The Folio Society has produced illustrated hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books, poetry, and children’s titles. The books feature fine, specially designed bindings and artist-commissioned illustrations. Popular titles from The Folio Society include The Rainbow Fairy books by Andrew Lang, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and Ulysses by James Joyce.
Moby Dick, Folio Society, 2009.
The Limited Editions Club
The Limited Editions Club was started in 1929 by George Macy to publish finely made and illustrated classics of literature. These ‘limited editions’ were generally signed by the artists, including greats such as Henri Matisse (Ulysses) and Pablo Picasso (Lysistrata). The club issued the books in small quantities to subscribers. Printing went through 2010.
Affordable Modern Classics
Multiple publishers have stylish series of modern classics with modest price tags. These editions bring the brilliance of classic literature within reach, from the enduring wisdom of Jane Austen, the adventurous spirit of Mark Twain, or the existential ponderings of Camus.
Vintage Penguin Paperbacks
Founded in 1935 in London, Penguin Books Limited revolutionized publishing through its inexpensive paperbacks. The initial simple design had three horizontal bands, of which the upper and lower colors denoted the series: Fiction was orange, and Mystery and Crime was dark green. In 1938, Penguin released ten illustrated classics, but the line was unsuccessful and discontinued. To find those, in Advanced Search, use the keywords’ Penguin Illustrated Classics’ and then fill in the Publish Date Between 1938 and 1938. Titles include Selected Poems by Robert Browning, A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne, and Typee by Herman Melville. After World War II Penguin began to release its now famous ‘Penguin Classics.’ In the 1940s, Penguin hired typographer Jan Tschichold to create guidelines for the new Classics series, and the standards set in his four-page “Penguin Composition Rules” booklet set the precedent for the paperback design. Today, Penguin has nearly a hundred books in its beautiful Penguin Clothbound Classics series started in 2008, including Orlando by Virginia Woolf, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
Virago Modern Classics
Virago Modern Classics prints paperbacks by female authors, some, such as their 40th Anniversary or Designer Collection, with stunning covers in bold designs. Titles include The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and Heartburn by Nora Ephron.
Everyman’s Library
Since 1906, Everyman’s Library has published beautiful editions of the World’s classics at reasonable prices. Influenced by private-press designs, the decorated endpapers of the initial pocket-sized titles resonated with the Arts and Craft style. Today, Everyman’s Library is an imprint of Alfred A. Knopf and has more than six hundred titles in print. Try using the keywords Everyman’s Library or Everyman’s Library Children’s Classics in Advanced Search to find the beautiful black spine with silver squares.
Knickerbocker Classics
Knickerbocker Classics, published by Race Point Publishing, features clothbound, slipcase, and kids’ editions of classic books, including Sherlock Holmes, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Moby Dick. You can search the keyword ‘Knickerbocker Classics,’ and to see what the actual books look like, filter on the left-hand side of the screen w/ Bookseller-supplied Photos.’
Seasons Editions by Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson released a beautiful ‘Seasons Editions’ of classic books, including Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery for Fall, The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett for Spring. You can search the keywords ‘Thomas Nelson Seasons Editions’ to find more – or look by specific season, author or title using the Advanced Search.
The MacMillan Collector’s Library
The MacMillan Collector’s Library editions are simple books with a pale blue top half and painted illustration on the bottom half. Although not elaborate, the common aesthetic can be very pleasing for a certain type of book collector. Titles include The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.
Illustrated editions
Illustrated editions of timeless classics add a layer of visual splendor to stories you know and love. The combination of art and literature makes the tales come alive, and are the perfect gift for young and old alike. Search for your favorite title, such as ‘The Hobbit’ or ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ on BIBLIO with keyword ‘illustrated edition’ and you will find some gems like The Hobbit illustrated by Jemima Catlin, or the MinaLima edition of Harry Potter. The award winning graphic design studio has released multiple titles as Harper Deluxe Books – with color-illustrations and interactive paper-engineered elements.
Of course children’s classics such as Winnie the Pooh, The Little Prince, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland were all printed with exquisite illustrations
Interested in learning more? Check out The Art of the Book: Rare & Antiquarian Aesthetic Books
Looking for more gift ideas? Look here A Sentimental Gift: Vintage Books Combine Beauty and Meaning to Make the Perfect Present
Amy C. Manikowski is a writer living in Asheville, NC.
