Holiday Gift Guide: for History Buffs
By Emily Morris
Whether they’re a World War nut, an avid nonfiction reader, or just a fan of historical fiction, this list a little something for any history buff on your gift list this year.
- Transatlantic Connections by Theresa Welford
In the 1950s, a group of brash young British writers coalesced into a controversial poetic and critical movement known simply as the Movement. In the 1980s, a group of brash young American writers coalesced into an equally controversial poetic and critical movement known as New Formalism. Especially since the British coalition known as The Movement was short-lived, surviving less than a decade, few people could have predicted that it would have an impact that was both far-reaching and long-lasting. This groundbreaking new study shows that the Movement lives on, in a very real way, in New Formalist poetics and poetry. This is the perfect read for any history or poetry fan!
More info at Red Hen and available for purchase here.
2. The Meaning of Names by Karen Shoemaker
Set in 1918 in the farm country at the heart of America, The Meaning of Names is the story of an ordinary woman trying to raise a family during extraordinary times. Estranged from her parents because she married against their will, confronted with violence and prejudice against her people, and caught up in the midst of the worst plague the world has ever seen, Gerda Vogel, an American of German descent, must find the strength to keep her family safe from the effects of a war that threatens to consume the whole world. A compelling historical fiction!
More info at Red Hen and available for purchase here.
3. Golden Ghetto: How the Americans and French Fell In and Out of Love During the Cold War by Steve Bassett
Considering the suspicions, jealousies, bigotry, and crass opportunism inherent whenever one foreign power occupies another, Golden Ghetto: How the Americans and French Fell In and Out of Love During the Cold War pieces together an improbable tale of how fear and skepticism were crushed by trust and friendship. Based on hundreds of hours of research and interviews conducted by award-winning journalist Steve Bassett, Golden Ghetto is a collective memoir, a first-ever look at life on an overseas base from the perspectives of both the occupied and occupier. Professional and amateur historians as well as casual readers will be enthralled by this bird’s eye view of how early Communist-driven distrust and paranoia never stood a chance against handshakes, smiles, and kisses.
More info at Red Hen and available for purchase here.
4. Gone to Earth by Eleanor Wilner
Gone to Earth brings to light, late in the long, distinguished career of poet Eleanor Wilner, her early uncollected poems — an unveiling of the first stages of a vital, imaginative process. Written during the poet’s immersion in the civil rights movement and the protests against the Vietnam War, an inner liberating struggle is tuned to a collective channel where communal memory and vision are undergoing transformation. In the often-painful drama of new birth, from the deadly strictures and oppressions of the older social forms, come the living forces undermining them. This poetry collection reveals the emotional turmoil and evolution of one poet during one of the most fraught periods of American history.
More info at Red Hen and available for purchase here.
5. Glorious Boy by Aimee Liu
What will it take to save Ty? This is the question that haunts Claire and Shep Durant in the wake of their four-year-old’s disappearance. Until this moment, Port Blair’s British surgeon and his young wife, a promising anthropologist, have led a charmed life in the colonial backwaters of India’s Andaman Islands. But with the war closing in and mandatory evacuation underway, the Durants don’t realize until too late that Ty has vanished. While Claire sails for Calcutta, Shep stays to search for Ty. Days later, the Japanese invade the Andamans, cutting off all communication. Fueled by guilt and anguish, Claire uses her unique knowledge of the islands’ tribes to make herself indispensable to an all-male reconnaissance team headed back behind enemy lines. Her secret plan: rescue Shep and Ty. Through the brutal odyssey that follows, she’ll discover truths about sacrifice that both shatter and transcend her understanding of devotion. Glorious Boy is a compelling and heart-wrenching historical fiction.
More info at Red Hen and available for purchase here.
6. CHRONOLOGY — The Game Where You Make History
Think you know which came first — the invention of mayonnaise or decaffeinated coffee? Lincoln’s Gettysburg address or John Deere’s first plow? Put your knowledge to the test in this game of historical dates. Build your own timeline of cards. Someone will read you a historical event from a card. You decide where that event falls in your timeline. If you are right, keep the card and your timeline grows. The first player to build a timeline of 10 cards wins! This game is fun for both history fans or casual players.
7. Historical city map
Get your local history buff a beautiful and interesting gift this holiday season. These historical city maps are available for almost any location and size, making it an ideal decor for any office or living space.
8. History buff definition mug
Who doesn’t love a funny mug? This history buff definition mug is a lovely little present for any amateur historian.
9. Military history calendar
Never forget our nation’s heroes and discover the events, weapons, battles, and people that have shaped the battlefield―and the world! This bestselling gift is the perfect desk-decor for any history buff.
10. 19th Century History — 1000+pc Large Format Jigsaw Puzzle
Abraham Lincoln, the Gold Rush, and Thomas Jefferson all in the same puzzle?! This 19th century history collage puzzle is perfect for all the history buffs or puzzle lovers in the room.
