The 2015 Fine Books & Collections Holiday Gift Guide

The Raven

While you ponder weak and weary over your quaint and curious volumes of forgotten lore, take a brief respite by resting your gaze on this beautifully crafted art tile clock. A collaboration between Japanese printmaker Yoshiko Yamamoto and American art tile designer Nawal Motawi of Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Motawi Tileworks, the Raven tile cannot help but call Edgar Allan Poe to mind. The 5-13/16" x 7-13/16" handmade tile is available as a framed stand-alone, or encased within this Arts-and-Crafts-style wooden clock case. Tile: $92 and up; Clock: $395.

www.motawi.com

Courtesy of Motawi Tileworks.

All Things Alice

“Off with their heads!” But not with their bangles. The store at the Huntington Library & Museum in Pasadena, California, is offering a delightful “Wonderland Bracelet,” an ideal gift for the collector and/or admirer of all things Alice. Made in the U.S. of brass components that are skillfully hand-painted, this charming wristlet features seven figures or objects from Alice in Wonderland, including Alice, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, and Queen of Hearts. The length adjusts between 6-¼" and 7-¼" inches, and the maximum width is 1-3/8" inches. $125

www.thehuntingtonstore.org

Courtesy of The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Travel in Style

“Most guides try to tell you everything there is to know about a city, we just tell you how to enjoy it.” London-based Herb Lester Associates publishes quirky guidebooks in beautiful packages, and who can resist the striking retro-inspired design of their U.S. guidebooks, particularly when they have a literary bent, like Writing Manhattan or The Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles. All sixteen of their carefully crafted U.S. guides are available in a beribboned gift box, featuring Portland, Austin, Miami, Seattle, Chicago, and more. £48/$75

shop.herblester.com

Courtesy of Herb Lester Associates.

Vintage Map & Globe Art

Artist Wendy Gold likes working with unusual canvases. She first made a name for herself by decoupaging toilet seats and bathroom scales. But Gold now employs her talents on a creation better suited to your library than your restroom: vintage globes and maps. Her “ImagineNations” globes are upcycled old globes, each depicting a subject (e.g., butterflies or flowers) or a message (“Peace”), sometimes to surreal effect. Similarly, her printed wall hangings reimagine geographic maps in whimsical ways, e.g. the garden and vegetation map seen here. Each map is printed on cotton canvas, signed and numbered by Gold, and affixed between hand-stained wooden slats. Globes: $350 and up; Maps: $149 and up.

Globes: www.artonglobes.com

Maps: www.artonglobes.com

Courtesy of Wendy Gold.