Well, the holiday season is upon us. On the one hand, that means we're broke. But on the other, it also means that we get to compile our annual list of elegant, affordable, Wordcandy-worthy gift items! (It's just like fantasy football, only with shopping.)

Any one of these would make a lovely gift for the bibliophiles on your list:

For anybody (kid version):
Tove Jansson's $20 collected Moomin strips are cool, colorful, and totally insane.



For anybody (adult version):
Penguin's $25 Transit Maps of the World would beautify any coffee table.



For the lady of fashion:
FredFlare is currently featuring several items based on Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. You can pick up a gorgeous copy of the book PLUS this funky "Miss Golightly" necklace for under $30.



For the child with discriminating musical and literary tastes:
Sunny, Robin Mitchell and Judith Steedman's wonderful (and only $16!) kids' book comes with an accompanying 10-song CD that's overflowing with hipster goodness.



For the guys:
Check out this awesome interactive Sherlock Holmes story, The Crimes of Dr. Watson. This $25 book includes letters, newspaper clippings, and more, allowing the reader to test their detective skills.



For the foodie:
Laura Werlin recently appeared on NPR's The Splendid Table to discuss her new book, Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials ($25). Click here to listen to the podcast.



For the manga reader:

Yotsuba&! calendars follow the Japanese school year (running from April to March), but I would totally love to get one for Christmas. These adorable $26 calendars feature a mixture of Kiyohiko Azuma's artwork and Miho Katuka's photographs.




For the crafty:
If you're artistically inclined, a handmade set of literature-inspired paper dolls (maybe accompanied by a Dover Thrift edition?) would make a wonderful gift. The rest of us should check this site out. They offer $10 paper doll sets for characters ranging from Mansfield Park's Fanny Price to Jane Eyre.



For the Janeite:
Man, who doesn't need a set of $9 "Jane Austen Evil Eye" charm earrings?



For the reader with unadorned walls:
There are several great poster/print shops online, all of which are full of amazing artwork based on vintage book covers. We particularly liked this $50 print of a French edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles (hey, nothing says Christmas like a severed head) and this $25 Brave New World print.



Click here for the 2006 list, and here for the 2005 list.

Labels: Gifts, Holiday, Shopping