Ten of the best books to give a man
A good book is the gift that keeps its value. A few we keep coming back to, and how to choose one that lands.
From the EditorRichard Murphy6 May 20261 min read
A good book is one of the few gifts that gains value with time. The difficulty is matching the book to the man. Here is how we think about it, rather than a list you could find anywhere.
For the doer, a beautifully made book on a craft he admires, the kind of large-format title from a publisher like Phaidon that he would never buy for himself. For the traveller, something that captures a place rather than just lists it. For the cook, a single-subject book he can actually work through. For the reader who has everything, a handsome edition of a book he already loves.
The rule we follow: buy the object as much as the words. A book that looks and feels considered sits on the shelf and gets noticed for years. Pair it with a bookmark or a dram and it becomes an evening, not just a parcel.
Worth owning
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