Top 12 Christmas Gifts for Oxford Writers

Are you wondering what to get for that person on your list who just loves writing?  You know they have a passion for word-craft, but what sort of thing can you get for someone who loves something so intangible?

Look no further, the answer is here. Below you will find one suggestion for what to get your true love, or any other writer you know, for each day of Christmas.

Experts at Square Books in Oxford have provided the following list of items they recommend as gifts for that verbose person in your life. Beckett Howorth, an employee at Square Books, provided this list in, no particular order.

This pen is said to last for seven years!

1. On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me The Little Black Book of Writer’s Wisdom by Steven D. Price. This volume contains quotes from famous authors “about writing and the writing life,” said Howorth.

2. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is perhaps a more practical gift for your writer than two turtle doves. It is a writing instructional book that is appealing to not only college age students, but to any age writer.

3. While three French hens may be less than appreciated, Good Prose by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd is sure to be a hit this holiday season. This book provides expert advice about writing effective nonfiction.

4. Well, we finally know what those four calling birds have been gossiping about. Literary Rogues by Andrew Shaffer is “a crazy, scandalous history of wayward authors” that is sure to have your rebellious writer hooked.

5. The Novel 100 by Daniel S Burt is certainly in the five golden rings of literary success. This collection contains the 125 best novels of all time, ranked and discussed briefly and is a must have for authors hoping to someday be on that list themselves.

6. We’ve found a way to keep track of those six geese and all their eggs:  a personal card catalog! Made to imitate the system used by the Library of Congress, this small box contains cards and envelopes for your writer to catalog their favorite books, as well as notes about famous books, written in their respective authors’ own hand.

7. Those seven swans can keep a-swimming and this pen will keep a-writing. The Seven Year Pen does exactly what its name suggests: It is guaranteed to keep going for seven years and it comes in a myriad of entertaining colors and designs.

This journal provides writing prompts for each day.. for five years!

8. What could be better than having your own personal book journal so you can show the eight maids which books you’ve read recently? This book journal comes with pages ready to be filled in with your favorite books, books you’ve read, books you want to read, favorite lines, and best of all, which of the maids has borrowed your copy of To Kill a Mockingbird.

9. The nine ladies dancing will love waltzing across the pages of the Wreck This Journal, and in fact, they may be instructed to do so! This journal provides instructions to do something different with each of the pages every day of the year. It ranges from making paper airplanes to using the page as a napkin at dinner and has been popular among writers for about a year.

10. Ten lords will be leaping across the lines of a line a day journal. For five years, this journal provides space to write a few lines every day, recording your writer’s favorite moments, memories, dreams, and imaginations.

11. A leather bound gift journal will have the eleven pipers announcing its arrival with a spectacular fanfare. For a writer, there is nothing better than having blank pages to fill, particularly when those are bound in a beautiful cover that feels good in the hands.

12. Last but not least, if we can have a drum roll from the twelve drummers, you should get your writer books. Writers are readers first and books to read will always be appreciated by those who love to read and write. If you don’t know what kind of books your writer likes to read, a gift card will suffice.

All of the items listed above can be found at Square Books. Good luck with your search and happy holidays!

– Sinclair Rishel is a student in the Meek School of Journalism and New Media. Sinclair can be reached by emailing serishel@go.olemiss.edu.