Our favorite gift books of 2023

Looking for a gift for someone who loves books? Our editors got you. Here are our favorite gift ideas for 2023.

In addition to spotlighting an exemplary art style, Worlds Beyond Time demonstrates the stunning vastness of science fiction as a literary genre.

In World Within a Song, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy introduces readers to the music he loves with unabashed joy.

In the dreamlike Underworlds, Stephen Ellcock pulls off an impressive feat in gathering material from sources as diverse and multifaceted as an underground ecosystem.

The League of Lady Poisoners is an original, thought-provoking and visually stunning study of 25 female poisoners of varied motives and backgrounds.

Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key’s The History of Sketch Comedy is a wonderful soup-to-nuts compendium of everything sketch.

Whimsical line drawings add to the fun of this informative, accessible guide to what cats are telling us, whether through tail twitches, meows or exceedingly slow blinking.

Informal yet inspired, off-the-cuff yet beautifully composed, Ross Gay’s follow-up to The Book of Delights reveals the riches hidden in quotidian experience.

There’s a line of Robert Frost’s—that a poem “begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” Hirshfield’s The Asking moves through both together, compelling the reader to wisdom and delight at interlocking, interconnected turns.

Through full-color reproductions of artwork across a variety of mediums—both physical and digital—The Art of Fantasy investigates how artists capture their personal ideas of fantasy, drawing on both unfamiliar visions and recognizable lore.

Thurston Moore’s long-awaited memoir offers a prismatic view on the sonic democracy that was Sonic Youth.

“Queer Eye” ’s Bobby Berk channels his designer’s mind into a beautiful new book that urges us to follow our instincts to create homes that bring us joy.

Through the history of 100 objects linked to infamous killings, Murderabilia provides a fascinating examination of how crime has seeped into social history and popular culture.

Nina Freudenberger’s Mountain House illustrates sumptuous interior designs that may make you tremble with sheer want.

In Heirloom Rooms, interior designer Erin Napier encourages us to think of our homes as living, breathing documents of our lives.

Philip Norman’s new biography George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle only adds to the case that George was lowkey the best Beatle.

Highlighting the cuisine of rural Italy, Gennaro’s Cucina is a zero-waste cookbook that makes every scrap of food delicious.

Gardening Can Be Murder is as full of delights as an English cottage garden as it explores the links between horticulture and mysteries.

This survey of seven teen shows explores how they broke ground with creativity, heart and hard work, paving the way for the genre’s progressive and diverse oeuvre today.

For the Love of Dog shows readers how to tap into their dogs’ special capabilities—for learning, for fun and for love.

Chris Santella and DC Helmuth’s practical and aspirational world tour for dog owners will demystify the process of traveling with dogs.

Soup lovers will delight in Shelly Westerhausen Worcel’s cookbook that offers soups, stews, ramen, gazpacho and more for every season.

British biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us just how interconnected we really are with these otherworldly images of mushrooms, lichens, mycelium and more.

Cheap Old Houses takes the titular Instagram account and HGTV show to the page, showcasing former fixer-uppers transformed into enchanting, livable homes.

Bruno’s Cookbook is a delicious, handsomely crafted gift for fans of Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police mysteries.

Edited by Mark Davidson, Edited by Parker Fishel

Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine keeps the legendary artist in motion—dazzling, beguiling and multidimensional.

Adults will enjoy sharing the stories of A Toni Morrison Treasury with young readers, as many Morrison fans may never have encountered her writing for children.

The chefs at New York’s Edible History share curious recipes from various periods of history in their intriguing new cookbook.

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