British Books for Giving this Holiday Season
Books for giving that were not in my Books Out column this year
By Gabrielle Pantera
This week I’m going to cover some books that didn’t make my column, but would make nice gifts. We’ll also look at ebooks. You can also look back at my book column from the last year for some great gift book ideas on the british-weekly.com website.
Books are always a great gift for the holidays but gifting books has gotten a bit more complicated as we’ve entered the age of ebooks. Before you send an ebook, you should know if your recipient has an iPad, Kindle, Nook or Kobo device.
Amazon may be the safest choice when buying ebooks as gifts. The Amazon Kindle device is very popular and the Kindle reader software is available for the Apple iPad, too. You can buy a book on your recipient’s Amazon Wish List (if he or she has one), buy an ebook to send by email, or get a gift card.
The Kindle Fire HDX ($183.00 +) and the Apple iPad Mini ($399.00 +), Galaxy Note 10.1 ($499.00) make great gifts too. There’s also the Barnes & Noble Nook HD device ($179.00) and Kobo device (available in the UK but not in America) but those will not easily read Kindle ebooks. You would need to buy ebooks from their respective stores.
Not sure about ebooks? There are still paperbacks and hardbacks, and here are some of the best of the year.
Mysteries:
Heirs of the Body: A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery (Book 21) by Carola Dunn
Hardcover, 304 pages, Publisher: Minotaur Books (December 10, 2013), Language: English, ISBN: 9780312675493 24.99 and also available as a Kindle edition $10.67
A continuation of the Daisy Dalrymple series, when one of four potential claimants to the title of Lord Dalrymple dies a sudden nasty death the question everyone is asking is, was it murder?
History:
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Scott Anderson. Hardcover: 592 pages Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition (August 6, 2013) Language: English ISBN: 9780385532921 $28.95
In Lawrence in Arabia Anderson introduces us to the real T.E. Lawrence. Anderson provides lots of details to bring the story to life. Anderson helps shed light on how involved with espionage Lawrence really was. How did a rich American oilman, a low-level German diplomat and a Romanian enter the plot? We also learn how they united with Germany and Austria-Hungary, during WWI and the changes taking place in the Ottoman Empire.
An engaging read for history buffs as well as for the casual first-time reader of the Near East. This book is not about Lawrence’s personal life. Note some people did have issues viewing the maps in the Kindle edition of this book.
Mrs Ronnie of Polesden Lacy by Sian Evans. Hardcover, 176 pages, Publisher: National Trust (July 1, 2013), Language: English
ISBN: 9781907892387 $ 26.95 also available as an ebook
Margaret Greville rose from the lower class to become a prominent society hostess. She married Captain Ronald Greville, a friend of Edward VII and numbered among her friends royalty and politicians She renovated two great houses: Polesden Lacy (now part of the National Trust) and 16 Charles Street, Mayfair. The Mayfair location she modeled after the Ritz Hotel.
Known as Mrs. Ronnie she was also a matchmaker. She aided the courtships of the Mountbattens and the Duke and Duchess of York, the latter couple even honeymooned at Polesden Lacy. After the abidication the duke became King George VI and the duchess Queen Elizabeth. Greville’s long life spanned the end of the Edwardian era through both World Wars. This is an exciting history and well worth the read. It also contains many unpublished period photographs. A great gifts for fans of British history and royalty.
The Marquess of Queensberry: Wilde’s Nemesis by Linda Stratmann
Hardcover, 336 pages, Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition (June 18, 2013), Language: English, ISBN: 9780300173802 $35 Also available as an ebook.
Oscar Wilde earned the bitter enmity of the Marquess of Queensberry when the Marquis’ son, Lord Alfred Douglas, became Wilde’s lover. Their feud culminated in Wilde’s trial and imprisonment, leading to a two-year jail sentence.
But Queensbury is better known as the man who established the rules for modern-day boxing. He was a complex man who has his own problems and tragedies, and putting Wilde in prison damaged him emotionally. Stratmann uses unpublished letters and major events to tell the story. The book is told from the Marquess’ point of view. The story is a sad one but reveals a man who thought he was doing the right thing.
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