Gift Guide: The Classics Lovers

With the holidays upon us, I'll be highlighting a few of my go-to gift books this week and next. Up first: gift ideas for the classic-lover in your life. Since most devoted bookworms already own the obvious classics from their favorite authors, the following are ideas for expanding beyond another edition of collected works in favor of more fun and quirky gift ideas.

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The Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint: Sure, these works are most likely included in the edition(s) collected works that your Shakespeare lover already owns, but nothing will make a bookworm's heart race like a Coralie Bickford-Smith clothbound Penguin edition. Buy here ($22.00).

William Shakespeare's Star Wars, by Ian Doescher: Shakespeare + Star Wars = The Perfect Geek Gift. Well, the perfect geek gift for any scifi/literary geek in your life. And as an added bonus, if it's a hit--Doescher has two more Shakespeare-inspired Star Wars tales coming out from Quirk Books in 2014 (The Empire Striketh Back, March 2014; The Jedi Doth Return, July 2014). Buy here ($14.95).

Bonus: Let the Shakespeare lover in your life wear his/her passion with a snuggly fleece from Out of Print. Buy here ($42.00).

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Patrick Stewart's adaptation of A Christmas Carol: This is a story that cries out to be narrated and told out-loud--perhaps that's why there are as many movie adaptations of it as there are--and what better way to hear it than to have Patrick Stewart read it to you? Sure, it's an abridged version (heart be still), but it is based on Stewart's own adaptation of the novel as a one-man stage production. And also, Patrick Stewart. Buy the CDs here ($14.95). (Side note: If you're looking for an unabridged edition on audio, the Jim Dale narration is excellent.)

The Man Who Invented Christmas, by Les Standiford: Subtitled "How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits," Standiford's book is an engaging, interesting dive into Dickens' career and our Christmas traditions through the lens of one of the most-adapted Christmas classics we know. Buy here ($14.99).

Bonus: Snuggle up to listen to the story, read about its history, or watch a movie adaptation under a "Bah! Humbug!" blanket. Buy here ($39.95).

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The Real Jane Austen, by Paula Byrne: A deep dive into the "small things" that comprised Austen's life--and shaped her witty, insightful prose. Buy here ($29.99).

A Jane Austen Education, William Deresiewicz: How six Jane Austen novels changed one man's life--stories sure to resonate with any Austen fan, and maybe even help them see something new in the texts they've missed in past reads. Buy here ($14.99).

Bonus: Bundle up in an infinity scarf printed with text from Persuasion. Buy here ($42.00). Or give your Austenite something to tote around all those books with a Pride and Prejudice tote. Buy here ($18.00).

Tomorrow: Book recommendations for hobbies and habits.