12 ideas from the books & stationery area of The Christmas Market. Nothing is sold here — pick anything up and it opens a pre-filled search at the retailer.
The blue-awning stall sells books and the things that live around them, with a rack of scrolls and standing books at the back. The counter holds a stack of cloth-bound hardbacks, a fountain pen beside a bottle of ink, a pair of heavy bookends and a wooden reading stand. Gifts for book lovers are harder than they look, because the obvious present, a particular book, risks one they already own or would never pick.
There are two safer routes. The first is to give the edition rather than the title: a clothbound classic or an illustrated edition of a book they already love. The second is to give to the reading habit rather than the reading list — bookends for a shelf that keeps sliding over, or a stand for someone who reads at the table.
If you do give a particular book, write a line inside saying why you chose it. It turns a guess into a recommendation.
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Hardback Stack
A good hardback is a book given as an object as well as a story. The stack on the counter is three cloth-bound books set off-square, with a ribbon marker trailing from one. Clothbound classics suit someone who loves a book they own in a battered paperback, because the gift is the edition, not the text. An illustrated edition works the same way. A boxed set of novels suits a reader who has just found an author and wants the whole run. If you can, ask someone close to them what they have already read.
Fountain Pen & Ink
A fountain pen is a gift for someone who still writes by hand and would like it to feel like an occasion. The one on the counter rests in an open presentation box beside a squat glass bottle of ink with its stopper off. For a first fountain pen, a fine or medium nib is the forgiving choice. A pen that takes bottled ink opens up far more colours than cartridges allow, which is half the pleasure for some people. A calligraphy set is a different gift altogether: it is for learning a skill, and suits someone with the time and patience for it.
Bookends
Bookends are a gift for a reader whose shelves have started to lean. The pair on the counter are heavy cast bookends with felt pads at the base. Weight is what matters. A light bookend can look lovely and still slide along the shelf under a row of hardbacks, so look for something heavy, or with a base plate that sits under the books. Pads keep them from marking the shelf. Decorative bookends are an object on display, so choose a pair that suits the room; plain metal or wood is the quieter option.
Reading Stand
A reading stand holds a book open at an angle so the reader does not have to. The one on the counter is a folding wooden stand with a slatted cradle and a brass bar to keep the pages down. It suits someone who reads at a table or cooks from a book, and it is a kind gift for anyone who gets a sore neck from looking down. An adjustable stand is the practical version for long sessions at a desk. A bamboo book rest is a lighter, simpler option for the kitchen.
Other areas in this room
More rooms
- The Essentials
- Last Minute Gifts
- The Man Cave
- Her Studio
- The Kitchen
- The Garage
- Her Closet
- His Closet
- The Board Room
- The Toy Shop
- The Christmas Cabin
- Shop by person
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Nothing is sold here — every pick opens a pre-filled search at the retailer, where the real listings, prices and stock live. How this works.