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Published on 1/6/09
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The DC Vault, by Martin Pasko (Running Press, $49.95) You could be obvious and get your superhero-worshiping pals the new hardcover edition of Watchmen, but if you really want to touch someone’s inner nerd, give the Vault, a trove of promotional ephemera, commentary and reproductions of comics classics (Swamp Thing, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, etc.).
The Complete Ripley Novels, by Patricia Highsmith (Norton, $100) This handsome boxed set packs in all five novels featuring the crime writer’s best-known sociopath,Tom Ripley. Though probably not as heavy as the typewriter in Highsmith’s excellent The Tremor of Forgery, it’s certainly hefty enough to serve as a holiday murder weapon.
Panic!, edited by Michael Lewis (Norton, $27.95) Subtitled The Story of Modern Financial Insanity, this essay collection serves as a guide through the most significant modern monetary crises, from the crash of ’87 through the ongoing subprime-mortgage fiasco. Perfect for readers obsessed with money, or anyone who wants to learn more about the forces currently laying waste to their 401k.
Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light (available at amazon.com, $13.52). Now your loved ones can read in the dark, whether they’re plowing through Proust or playing with their Kindle.
Gift certificate to audible.com (prices vary). Sometimes, you just don’t know which audiobook your friends will want to listen to on a long road trip (or on the treadmill).
Scrapbooks: An American History, by Jessica Helfand (Yale, $45) This beautifully designed bit of Americana transcends the apparent banality of its subject. Helfand provides generous visual samplings of the genre—pages covered with yellowed birth certificates, military photos, product labels, personal photographs and other curios, all of which offer fascinating glimpses of people and the ways they document their lives.
The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac (Bloomsbury, $23.95) Attention, sports fans: The McSweeney’s-endorsed FreeDarko basketball-philosophy collective jumps from the Web and into print with an illustrated compendium of funny, surreal musings about and psychological profiles of the NBA’s “Master Builders (for whom dominance has become a truism).”
Holiday gift guide 2008: On a budget
More than 200 ideas that don't look cheap.
