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15 of the best book gifts of 2023 to share & treasure

I only share books I know and love. If you buy through my links, I may earn a commission (learn more).

The Great Gatsby Harper Painted
Photos: Sanne Vliegenthart

There’s always a place in my heart and home for beautiful books, and they’re usually what I give to my loved ones for birthdays, Christmas, and other special moments.

On this page, I’ve curated my recommended best books to give as gifts in 2023, including thoughtful classic editions, luxury coffee table books, and other unique choices that book lovers will adore this Christmas.

As you browse these beautiful book gifts, I hope you find the perfect presents to treat your fellow avid readers. (Or why not ask for these books on your own list?)

If you need more bookish gift inspiration, complement this collection with the best book gifts for men and the best bookish gifts that aren’t books.

The best books to give as gifts for Christmas 2023

Best book for adventurers

Best book for bookworms

Best classic book gift

Best coffee table book

Best book for interior design lovers

Best book for foodies

Best fiction for people who’ve read everything

Best gift for self-improvement fans

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Harper Muse Painted Edition)

The Great Gatsby is one of the most beautiful book gifts for… book lovers who adore pretty classic editions.

If you’re looking for special gifts for bookworms, Harper Muse’s Painted Classics series is an excellent place to start. With each title featuring a gorgeous painted cover, these books are perfect gifts to cherish. And what better choice than The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s all-time classic?

The Writer’s Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands by Huw Lewis-Jones

The Writers Map is one of the best book gifts for… book lovers and writers who adore literary maps and illustrated hardcovers.

Edited by Huw Lewis-Jones and with a prologue by Philip Pullman, this stunning hardcover isn’t a new book (it was published all the way back in 2018). However, after gifting myself a copy recently, I’ve wanted to recommend it to everyone.

The Writer’s Map is a captivating atlas of imaginary lands made for leisurely browsing, accompanied by 167 full-colour images for any bibliophile (or cartophile) to admire. Even with such a gorgeous cover image, the book looks even more impressive in person.

Joie: A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life by Ajiri Aki

Joie is one of the best luxury book gifts for… readers who love travel, inspiring coffee table books, and most of all, Paris.

This gorgeous new coffee table book for 2023 is one of the most beautiful and inspiring book gifts for travelers this year. As you browse through these rejuvenating pages, you’ll uncover the Parisian secrets to celebrating life based on author Ajiri Aki’s time spent living in the city.

Entangled Life: The Illustrated Edition: How Fungi Make Our Worlds by Merlin Sheldrake

Merlin Sheldrake’s spellbinding ode to fungi, Entangled Life, is one of the most loved nature books of the last decade, taking us by the hand into a hidden, interconnected universe that we rely on in so many ways.

Now in 2023, and with 100 fascinating full-colour images and abridged text from the original, Entangled Life: The Illustrated Edition is a lavish new edition to admire, gift, and be entranced by.

The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard

The Bird Hotel is one of the best books to give as gifts to… book lovers who have read everything already.

Spanning four decades and penned with beautiful touches of magical realism, this exceptional novel is one of my top picks of the best new fiction of 2023.

After heartbreak and loss, Irene, a talented artist, finds herself in a small Central American village checking into a stunning but decaying lakefront hotel at the base of a volcano.

With years of restoration ahead, the hotel, called La Llorona, will become Irene’s home and livelihood, as well as the setting for so much joy and companionship.

Roast Figs, Sugar Snow by Diana Henry

Roast Figs, Sugar Snow is one of the best cookbooks to give as gifts to… foodies who love embracing colder weather with warming recipes and leisurely companionship at the dinner table.

If there’s any book that perfectly matches the hygge vibes I’m seeking during the dark days of Copenhagen in winter, it’s this stunning new edition of Diana Henry’s classic cookbook Roast Figs, Sugar Snow.

Delightfully cozy and warming for the soul, these recipes celebrate the unique pleasures of autumn and winter in a mesmerizingly lovely hardcover that’s perfect for gifting this festive season.

Kinfolk Wilderness by John Burns

Kinfolk Wilderness is the perfect book gift for… adventurous folks who love wild nature and remote places.

Known for delving into home, style, and culture via their wonderfully well-made books and magazines, Kinfolk’s adventurous new release for 2023 is one of the best luxury book gifts for travel lovers.

Kinfolk Wilderness is a stunning travel book to show off on a coffee table and keep turning to for inspiration, complete with wanderlust-inspiring photos and maps. Once you see it for yourself, you’ll probably want your own copy too. Here’s our video look inside the book.

Call It Home by Amber Lewis

Call It Home is one of the best book gifts for… interior design lovers who have a soft spot for luxurious coffee table books.

If you love interior design, Amber Lewis’s California-inspired style is a treat for your eyes. Her new book, Call it Home, offers readers a gorgeous hardcover full of timeless design inspiration, documented with quality photographs and heartfelt stories.

shark can swim our seas.

Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier by Kevin Kelly

Excellent Advice for Living is one of the best book gifts for… non-fiction readers who love self-improvement books.

Written by Kevin Kelly – co-founder of Wired, author, and technology thinker – this new self-improvement book is a five-star compilation of easy-to-read, wise, and practical snippets of wisdom for living well.

The idea for Excellent Advice for Living started on Kevin’s 68th birthday, when he began to write down for his young adult children what he wished he’d known earlier about life. The book is perfect for quiet browsing before beginning the day or while winding down for bed.

Leaving the Comfort Zone: The Adventure of a Lifetime by Olivier Van Herck and Zoë Agasi

Leaving the Comfort Zone is a special book gift for… adventurers drawn to the road less traveled.

gestalten publishes some of the most beautiful travel books you can find, and this new release is no exception. This stunning hardcover (that would make a perfect coffee table book) weaves the story of one couple’s adventure of a lifetime.

Detailing a 40,000-kilometre journey spanning four years and accompanied by awe-inspiring photographs, it’s the story of a shared dream and a desire to break free from expectations.

The Notes to Mindfulness Journal by Intelligent Change

The Notes to Mindfulness Journal is the best book gift for… those who love starting a new year with a beautiful journal.

This stunning notebook is my top gift suggestion for people who love goal-setting and self-reflection, produced by Intelligent Change, the makers of the equally excellent Five Minute Journal and Productivity Planner.

Notes to Mindfulness is probably the most beautiful journal I’ve ever used, decorated with a sparkling gold illustrated cover and full of stunning illustrations and inspiring prompts for a creative and reflective life. It’s been my morning companion since the summer and (admittedly like all other planners by Intelligent Change) I adore it.

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall

Farmhouse is a lovely book gift for… young readers to treasure by Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall.

“Over a hill, at the end of a road, by a glittering stream that twists and turns stands a farmhouse.”

Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish in the joyful daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, cozy detail in this beautifully illustrated children’s book that’s just as exquisite for grown readers.

The Golden Mole: and Other Living Treasure by Katherine Rundell and Talya Baldwin

The Golden Mole is one of the best book gifts for… readers who adore nature writing and gorgeous illustrations.

In the vein of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s beloved classic Braiding Sweetgrass, this delightful book is an ode to the miraculous treasure of our natural world that’s more astonishing than our wildest imaginings.

Weaving Katherine Rundell’s captivating words with sumptuous illustrations by Talya Baldwin, The Golden Mole is a chance to be bewitched and lovestruck. Fall into its pages and learn about the two million kilometers a swift flies in its lifetime and the five hundred years a Greenland

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (MinaLima edition)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a beautiful gift for… fans who love the vibrant nostalgia of the illustrated MinaLima editions.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, the books don’t get much better than these captivating new hardcovers by MinaLima, complete with full-color illustrations on nearly every page, a gold embossed cover, and interactive paper craft elements.

Three of the MinaLima books are out so far, including this dazzling new addition to the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which has just been released in October. I’ve included it in my pick of the most beautiful new books of 2023 for truly special reading.

Illustration from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (MinaLima edition)
Illustrated by MinaLima

The Book of Do: A Manual for Living by The Do Book Co.

The Book of Do is the perfect book gift for… friends and family who want to build a fuller and more sustainable life.

In this delightful new hardcover for 2023, The Do Book Co. – the beloved publisher of inspiring pocket volumes – has brought together the best writing and artwork from the collection into one beautifully produced volume.

Inspiring action and positive change, The Book of Do is carefully curated into themed sections, including Work, Creativity, You, Regenerate, and Sustain.


If you’d like more book gift ideas, you might also like my curated lists of…

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