Gifts for book lovers in the UK

Let a bookseller choose

A serious reader has usually read the novel you are thinking of. The UK has the best answer to that: booksellers who choose for you. Daunt Books sends a paperback a month for a year. Heywood Hill sends new fiction two books at a time. Both suit someone who likes being surprised more than following the charts, and both keep arriving long after Christmas.

If you would rather give one book, give an edition. A grey Persephone novel is cheap, looks good on a shelf, and suits a reader of forgotten mid-century fiction. The Blank Wall is crime; The Prisoner is historical fiction set in 1930s Munich.

E-reader or paper

The Kobo Clara BW is the plain choice for someone who reads every day or has run out of shelf space. The Libra Colour adds colour and takes a stylus, sold separately. Kobo devices do not read Kindle-store books, so ask first if they already have a big Kindle library.

Skip the e-reader for a reader who loves the object. For them, a subscription or a Penguin Shop card is better.

Small things

For a small budget, a Blackwing pencil for margin notes, a Papersmiths notebook for a reading log, or a British Library Shop card for a map and history lover all work. The felt bookmark kit suits a reader who also likes craft, though it takes most of a day. Bitmap Books is for the reader who grew up on retro games; their illustrated books cost more than the smallest card, so go up a band.

Delayed Gratification is for a news reader tired of the daily churn. It is quarterly, so the first issue may be a while.

Timing

The Penguin Shop card, Audible and the Save the Children e-card all arrive by email. Subscriptions start with the next dispatch, so write on the card what is coming and when. Order physical books by the second week of December to allow for the post.

Questions people ask

What do you get a UK book lover who has everything?

A bookseller subscription. Daunt Books and Heywood Hill both choose books for the reader over a year, so you do not have to guess what they own. For a smaller spend, a Penguin Shop gift card arrives by email and lets them pick a clothbound classic or new release themselves.