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12 Days of Dappered #1 – A vintage book or two

December 2, 2013 By Joe | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Here's why.

It’ll be here before you know it. Our annual 12 days of Dappered gift guide covers one item/idea each week-day for the next dozen days. All will be reasonably affordable, and at the same time they should (hopefully) appeal to someone who might drop on by this corner of the internet. So if you’re looking for ideas on what to give a decently dressed (yet budget conscious) fellow, or, if you’ve got friends/family struggling for ideas on what to get someone (you) who’s hard to buy for, check back in as this year’s 12 Days churns on. You’ll also find the growing archive here.

This might be the wrong thing to say as a website, but…

It’s a good idea to turn off all your screens every once in awhile.

Between the laptop, the tablet, the smartphone and whatever’s on the TV, we’re a society that’s over-pixelated. By giving someone an honest to goodness dead-tree book, they won’t be tempted to check twitter, the latest sports scores, or even drop by their favorite affordable men’s style website. They can just… read.

vintage books

And bonus points of it’s a vintage edition of a favorite novel, series, or bit of nonfiction on a topic that they enjoy (music, history, a certain President, whatever…). Two of the best gifts I’ve ever received were old books that the givers knew would be right up my alley.

The first was a collection of James Bond novels that are at least a few decades old. They’re not first editions or anything, but sitting down one with of them instead of the Kindle just felt more relaxing. And they certainly look better sitting on the shelf.

The second was a very old copy of “The Bedside Esquire”, which is a collection of the best pieces ever published in Esquire Magazine. Includes The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway, some Steinbeck, and George A. McNamara’s “Essay on Jiggling”. Consider a collection of short stories / previously published works like this for someone who might not be the most voracious reader, but still likes to read a few pages before turning in for the night.

Ever hunt down a vintage book for yourself or someone else? Any tips for browsing at Used Bookstores and on Ebay? Leave it all in the comments below…

Filed Under: Etc. Tagged With: 12 days of Dappered 2013, books

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Comments

  1. Mike N says

    December 2, 2013 at 10:40 AM

    Excellent first entry Joe. I make a point to visit several old bookstores each year in search of Christmas presents. There are few more thoughtful gifts than a good book. Especially if it is a classic edition of someone’s favorite title or by a loved author.

  2. tomservo says

    December 2, 2013 at 10:47 AM

    I picked up Bedside Esquire last time you mentioned it and it’s worth every penny!

  3. yoyorobbo says

    December 2, 2013 at 12:42 PM

    I hit used bookstores all – the – time. Love it! I can get lost in any bookstore, really – just ask my wife and kids. Doh! – but the used (and better yet – vintage) finds are always cool.

    I have most (if not all) of the Fleming Bond books, in oldschool paperback editions – and a few of them in the more recent trade-paperback-sized (sorta) releases as well. Dig them all!

    As far as *gifts for others*, the only used book I can think of that I bought specifically as a gift was a hardcover collection of many of Jack London’s short stories which also included the full novels Call of the Wild, White Fang, Sea Wolf, and maybe one or two more. The book had some sweet illustrations that *looked* like they were plucked straight from the old pulps.

    See, my dad was telling me one night a few years back about how he remembered sitting outside as a young boy, reading those tales underneath a big tree in their yard. Pretty cool image. Boom! Instant Christmas gift. Plus, my dad telling me a story (about a mutually-loved story) that I will never ever forget = super bonus round!

  4. Quancho says

    December 2, 2013 at 1:52 PM

    ABEbooks.com has been my used & vintage book source for at least the last 10 years. It’s a clearinghouse for small bookstores all over the country. Some sellers will list both on ABE and on Amazon, but I find ABE usually has more copies (and therefore, usually, lower prices). Just pay attention to the “condition” descriptions and what they mean.

  5. Adam M. says

    December 2, 2013 at 2:33 PM

    I think I have that exact Jack London book that you’re talking about, or at least one very similar. Hardcover with Call of the Wild, White Fang, Sea Wolf, and then Klondike and Other Short Stories. I bought it for myself, but it is easily some of the best writing I’ve encountered and would recommend it as a gift for anyone, especially those with a knack for Nature and the outdoors.

  6. Scott Hendrickson says

    December 2, 2013 at 2:42 PM

    I have that same (or similar) collection of decades-old James Bond novels. Trying to purge a lot of paperbacks from my collection, but a great hardcover, or a classic novel is a fantastic thing to own. Love it.

  7. Michael McG says

    December 2, 2013 at 6:46 PM

    Me too! That book is SO awesome.

  8. yoyorobbo says

    December 3, 2013 at 10:04 AM

    BTW, if you are into short stories AND Bond, look for either *For Your Eyes Only* and *Octopussy* in the old school Signet paperback run (in HC too – but I think minus one story) or *Quantum of Solace* in the newer Penguin (slightly-larger-almost-trade-paperback-sized) series – the latter/newer being a combo of the two older books with the addition of “007 in New York” as well.

    These are the collected short stories of Bond, by Fleming. Very, very cool – especially for when you want a quicker read, or are short on downtime.

  9. Robert Dagnall says

    December 3, 2013 at 12:15 PM

    Right behind me in the home office, handed down to me from my mom. As a kid, it blew my mind to think that Ian Fleming wrote about the Space Shuttle in the 1950s. Then I learned about differences between books and film adaptations…

  10. yoyorobbo says

    December 3, 2013 at 1:05 PM

    Haha! Yep. Great stuff, especially the hand-me-down from your mom. Very cool! Also, that Gardner book there, *Icebreaker* – I still have my copy from when I was a young ’80s twerp. I have a few other Gardner ones too: *Licence Renewed* and *For Special Services*. Not Fleming, but pretty good reads, IMO.

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