I’m all about gifting books at the holidays (or anytime, really), but I also love finding unique presents for the bibliophiles in my life. Here are some fun ideas.
Postertext
We know words can evoke a mental image, but how about words literally creating a picture? The creative people at Postertext use the text from novels to produce art prints. I ordered the Pride and Prejudice poster for my daughter, who has devoured Jane Austen’s masterpiece at least three times.
The text begins with Chapter 1 and the first line of P & P. It’s cool to see Austen’s words right on the poster, like a treasure you find when you look closely. The words are tiny, but I suppose anything larger would detract from the image. I’m sure my daughter will love this.
Postertext has prints for many classics, including Alice in Wonderland, a Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Great Gatsby. Most cost around $30. Postertext plans to add contemporary favorites to the collection, and you can also request a book for them to convert to art. The website is easy to navigate and service was friendly and fast. If you follow them on Twitter, you can get a $5 discount.
In the spirit of full disclosure, a rep from Postertext.com contacted me about this unique art form that’s perfect for any book lover. I ordered my own poster to evaluate, and I haven’t received any compensation from the company.
The Book Lover’s Calendar from Writer’s Digest
The new calendar for 2015 features book suggestions from a variety of authors, literary quizzes, facts about authors, and quotes from books and authors. This is a great gift idea for readers and writers alike. WD sells it for $12.
Book Journals
A few months ago, I wrote a post about the benefits of keeping a list of books you’ve read. One of my readers commented that she had a special book to keep a log of the books she’d read. That inspired a Google search for a similar product, and I found tons of them. Here are some details on the three I liked best:
Books I’ve Read, A Bibliophile’s Journal by Deborah Needleman and Virginia Johnson. This journal has a forward by the author and simple lined pages to enter titles, dates, and reactions to books. Also includes colorful illustrations of libraries, etc. At Amazon for $12.
Reading Journal: For Book Lovers, by Potter Style. This journal gets rave reviews on Amazon. For each book you can list author, category, rating, and notes. Amazon $7.
Books I’ve Read, A Reader’s Journal, by Journals Unlimited. This journal uses a fill-in format with prompts for author, book, category, and reactions to character and plot. Amazon $20.
I’m gonna have a hard time choosing! How about you?
Can you add any other word nerd gift ideas to my list?
Thanks for stopping by.
Julia
Great ideas, thanks! I may just get a P&P postertext for somebody I know! 🙂
I’m glad you like these ideas, Jessica, and I got all of your comments and deleted the extras. Not sure why the first one didn’t show up. Happy shopping!
Oh my goodness, I need to have them all. Not kidding! The calendar and journal especially…. and my daughter love p&p too. Nice to see teens enjoying Austin!
I know, right? I really want a journal. A good way to start off the new year. I’m thinking notes on books in the journal will help with my blog book reviews.
Huh! I like that book journal idea.
I need door prizes for an upcoming launch party, and that sounds like a real possibility! Thanks for the idea!
Cool! Glad I could help. We’re reading The Inquisitor’s Mark in our house… 😉
Eeek! I hope you’re enjoying it. I have a great deal of fondness for certain scenes in that book!
And I did indeed buy one of the book journals as a door prize. (The second one on your list.) It came in the mail yesterday, and it’s perfect!
I will have to go back to the posters when they start carrying contemporary books – what a cool idea! I’ve been eyeing the prints from an etsy shop called Whisker Prints – she uses pages from vintage dictionaries. The quotes aren’t literary, but I love that they are printed on book pages.
Another great idea – thanks for sharing. I’ll have to check out Whisker Prints.
Great ideas! Thanks so much. I love the book poster – now to be able to pick the book….
The book poster is a really interesting idea- bibliophiles will love it. Choosing is tough…