BOOKS NIC BOTTOMLEY
Present tense O Nic shares his selection of the some of the best books to give as gifts
“The text comes as poetic ‘spells’ that remind us of the quiet majesty of the creatures in our countryside”
ne of the trickiest aspects of retailing is getting several months ahead when it comes to buying and promoting books. When sales representatives show me spooky books in May, my stunted retail brain finds it difficult to fast forward to Halloween and imagine excited trick or treaters wanting to read about witches and spiders. Similarly, when the catalogues in July offer snowtinted country house mysteries and anthologies of wintery tales, I find it difficult to remember how much demand there’ll be come Christmas shopping season. This year’s different though. Had you noticed? This year, Christmas retail season is upon us in the blink of an eye. First, because it’s November already (somehow). And secondly because this year it’s important for us shop folk to give everyone the opportunity to spread their Christmas shopping out and get it done earlier than usual, so we avoid big crowds and clamour at a time when keeping safe is still the most important thing. With that in mind, here’s a themeless scattergun charge through five of my favourite books to gift in the festive season ahead. Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris (Hamish Hamilton, £14.99) is the exquisite follow-up to their inspiring Lost Words which encouraged so many of us to make sure that our children do not lose their connection to the natural world. The vast scale of their first book has been replaced with a pocked-sized hardback, but the combination of Morris’s stunning artwork and the evocative writing remains. The text this time comes as poetic ‘spells’ that remind us of the quiet majesty of the creatures in our countryside – barn owls, foxes, peregrine falcons, rabbits and so many more. Sticking with poetry and those true ‘Christmassy’ books, there is one excellent anthology to look out for that I think will prove as a tonic to many readers in the season ahead. A Poems for Every Winter Day edited by Allie Esiri (Macmillan, £14.99) brings together traditional and modern verse from Robert Burns to Joseph Coelho in a truly escapist and calming collection for the season. Over the years golf-lovers, compared to
cycling nuts for example, have been poorly served when it comes to gift-books. Until now. Lofted by William Watt (Hardie Grant, £22) is easily the best visual book on golf I’ve ever seen. Dispensing with the hackneyed old perceptions of golf and instead focusing on the more inclusive modern game, Lofted takes us to the most intriguing and obscure locations from Himalayan foothills to windswept Scottish islands. Essays on the history and landscape of each course are accompanied by images for golfers to pore over as they work out how they’d navigate the epic sand-traps, ravines, and near lunar landscapes of some of the world’s most remarkable layouts. In a year where travel has been ruled out but wanderlust might remain, The Flightless Traveller by Emma Gregg (Quercus, £22) may make the perfect gift. Not only is this a beautifully presented book that makes the browsing reader wistful for the open road, it’s also one with sustainable journeying at its heart. Whether the trips described are short or long they share one thing in common – no flights are involved. Near-to-home adventures on foot or two wheels come to the fore, in combination with many enticing European itineraries accessed by rail or road. True, even after lockdowns ease, a couple of the epic trans-continental suggestions will be out of reach to all but the time-rich. But it doesn’t harm to dream and the overall message is timely and crucial – that the world can be at our fingertips even without costing the Earth. And whilst the state of the planet is on our mind, it’s worth remember that at 94 years of age David Attenborough has once again contributed one of the most vital books of the year with A Life on Our Planet (Ebury, £20). As the subtitle tells us, this is his own witness statement of the changes to our planet’s eco-systems in his lifetime of observing and educating us about nature. It’s also his urgent call to arms for putting things right and therefore maybe the most vital book for all of us to read this Christmas. Nic Bottomley is the general manager of Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, 14/15 John Street, Bath; 01225 331155; www.mrbsemporium.com
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