I love to collect beautiful books, and I own some amazing editions that I think would make wonderful gifts for your loved ones- or yourself- this Christmas. Trust me: pretty books are the best gifts, and you'll earn major brownie points with any bookworm you gift one to.
I thought it might be helpful to do a round-up post of some of my favourite editions to give you some last-minute present inspiration for the holidays, and show you where to get them, so that's what I'm here to do.
I've rounded up thirty of my favourite special edition books and boxsets that are still available to purchase, and the best part is, almost all of them are affordable. These are all books I own and / or have given as gifts myself, so I highly recommend them.
Let's take a look!
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1. A Court of Thorns and Roses Collector's Edition. One of my favourite special editions and book series ever. It has different gold foil designs on the front and back of both the book and slipcase, metallic end papers, and rose designs on the pages, too.
2. The Leigh Bardugo Collector's Editions Book Set are three of my all time favourites. The foiled covers are to die for, they have block-coloured sprayed edges, and the stories are amazing, too. It includes the first book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and both books from the awesome Six of Crows duology, which is set in a different part of the same world. If you prefer to collect one at a time, the good news is, you can also buy these books individually.
3. If you liked Nikolai in The Shadow and Bone series, you'll love reading his own story in King of Scars. I think I preferred it to the original trilogy. Book one in this duology has a black hidden cover with gold foil of the Lantsov double-eagle crest, and it's a beauty.
4. The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic is a book of Grimms'-style fairytales set in the world of the Grishaverse. It has a pretty navy blue naked cover with gold foiling, and has amazing illustrations inside.
5. The Illumicrate Exclusive edition of Demon in the Wood is a beautiful graphic novel telling the origin story of Shadow and Bone's villain, The Darkling. This book has a gorgeous forest green hidden cover with silver foiling, sprayed edges, and special endpapers, and it's beautifully illustrated throughout.
6. Book two in the King of Scars duology, Rule of Wolves, boasts a burgundy hidden cover with silver foil on both the cover and spine.
7. The Caraval Collector's Edition is a bright red clothbound with a Caraval admittance ticket design, in a navy blue slipcase with silver foil. It also has a bonus chapter from Julian's POV.
8. The Once Upon a Broken Heart books have been so popular that Hodder and Stroughton rereleased the hardback this autumn with a new hidden cover for everyone who missed out on the first print run. This new vault edition has a blue hidden cover with gold foiling of Evangeline's broken heart tattoos, and it's perfect. These won't be rereleased again, so get in there fast. Just make sure the listing says 'vault edition', or you may find yourself with a plain cover.
9. Waterstones Shatter Me Collector's Edition. This new collector's edition of the first book in the popular Shatter Me series is a small clothbound with a botanical gold foil design on the cover, navy sprayed edges with origami bird stencilling, and cheerful yellow end papers with an origami bird design. This is available from other booksellers without the sprayed edges, but I'm not sure if the end papers are a Waterstones exclusive.
10. A Curse For True Love UK edition. The finale to the Once Upon a Broken Heart series has the prettiest Beauty and the Beast inspired dust jacket, and the first print run features purple hidden covers with four different gold foil designs to collect. You'll need to be fast, as once they're gone, they're gone; the next printing will only have plain covers. The US Barnes & Noble Exclusive edition also has a gorgeous burgundy hidden cover.
11. If you really want to treat someone this Christmas, the Owlcrate Into the Grishaverse: Shadow and Bone trilogy books and goodies box would make the most amazing gift. This book box contains stunning special editions of Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising with sprayed edges, hidden covers, and more, plus eight bookish goodies based on the series. It hasn't started shipping yet, so it probably won't make it in time for Christmas, but it looks incredible. I can't wait to get mine. Shipping to the UK is ridiculous for this box, though, so it might be cheaper to use a delivery service instead of having it shipped directly.
12. Throne of Glass Collector's Edition. Book one of an epic eight book series. It has a stunning gold foil cover and slipcase, metallic end papers, and sword and Wyrdmark designs printed on the pages.
13. Not special editions exactly, but the new Bloomsbury Throne of Glass hardcover boxset has all eight books with colourful covers, and the most amazing art on the dust jackets. You can also buy each book separately, and get them in paperback, too.
14. If you enjoy spicy fantasy adventure with demon princes, fae, and vampires, Waterstones' Exclusive edition of Throne of the Fallen may be for you. It has a very light grey cover with a metallic purple foil design of House Envy's two-headed wolf crest, purple end-papers, and purple sprayed-edges with key stencilling.
15. The Jane Austen Collection by Arcturus Books is the perfect gift for any Austen fan. It's a gorgeous little box set featuring her six most popular books- Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility- in pretty pastel clothbounds with lovely patterned covers.
16. The Cruel Prince is one of my favourite fantasy book series ever, and the new Cruel Prince Collector's edition is a stunner. This gothic edition has a textured black cover and matching slipcase with nature designs woven with items from the books like Jude's sword, and Cardan's crown. Inside, it has beautiful greyscale illustrated end papers, black sprayed edges, and some brilliant deleted scenes at the back.
17. The Puffin in Bloom collection is a four-book-set with four of everyone's favourite children's classics- Little Women, Heidi, A Little Princess, and Anne of Green Gables, each with the most beautiful hardback covers designed by the Rifle Paper Co. You can also buy each title separately, which is how I'm collecting them. I have them all, except for Heidi, who I must adopt at some point.
18. Owlcrate's edition of Violet Made of Thorns has so many incredible qualities, it's hard to know where to start. It has a bright purple hidden cover with stunning silver foil designs on the front and back, the most amazing silver-foiled celestial endpapers, a reversible dust jacket with character art, and more. I've not read it yet, but it's a favourite in terms of aesthetics.
19. The Waterstones Exclusive Signed Edition of Upon a Frosted Star has botanical green and white patterned sprayed edges with gold foiling, and matching end papers inside. It's also signed by the author. I've just started reading this one, and it's said to be Swan Lake meets The Great Gatsby.
20. Another signed Waterstones Exclusive I love is Ink Blood Sister Scribe; fantasy, thriller, mystery, and academia rolled into one. This book has tangerine-coloured sprayed edges with stencilling of bees and leaves, and marbled-burgundy endpapers. I reviewed it here.
21. Any fan of the Bronte sisters will love The Bronte Collection from Arcturus books. This boxset includes six colourful little clothbounds with floral covers written by the three Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, including Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and more.
22. The Famous Five series is a classic, and Hodder Children's Books released the first three books as retro hardbacks. Five Run Away Together is a beautiful little brick-red hardcover adorned with a spitfire print with rose-gold foiling, and it's illustrated, too. I reviewed all three books here.
23. If you want something festive, I'd recommend the Puffin Clothbound Classics version of A Christmas Carol. It's a lovely little illustrated red clothbound with gold foiling on the cover, sprayed edges, and sky blue end papers with a snowflake and candlestick print. I reviewed it here.
24. The Puffins Clothbound Classic of The Secret Garden is another of my favourite covers. This magical classic has a denim-blue clothbound cover decorated with gold-foiling of bees and roses, which frames imagery of a girl standing among the roses.
25. And the Puffin Clothbound Classics' edition of The Wizard of Oz is also stunning. It's an emerald green clothbound with a gold foil yellow-brick-road design, and it's even illustrated inside.
26. Barnes and Noble do gorgeous leather-bound editions, like this H.G. Wells Keepsake Collection, that is filled with six of his most popular novels. The bright cobalt-blue cover depicts a UFO and clock faces laid out like a solar system on a starry night sky, appearing to represent War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, and it also has metallic gold edges. B&N unfortunately don't deliver to the UK anymore, but you can get some titles from Amazon, or use a delivery service to act as a middle man.
27. The hardcover of The Way Past Winter has a pretty sage-green cover, with a wintry, Nordic-style design, and some gold-foiling. It's a lovely, wintry YA fantasy, too.
28. The Anne of Green Gables boxset from Arcturus Books is one of the loveliest book sets I've ever seen. It includes all six of the 'Anne' books with delicate pastel-coloured, clothbound covers that each have a different floral design.
29. The Penguin Clothbound Classics are probably the most recognisable of all the beautiful books out there. They cover so many classics these days, but this copy of The Day of the Triffids is one of my favourites. It has a lime green clothbound cover with a yellow circular print that might be of plant cells or chloroplasts or something similar. Answers on a postcard...
30. And the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition of Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass is a must if you're a Wonderland fan. I've had this book for years, and I'm still in love with the pink and white, flamingo-print clothbound cover.
There are so many more pretty books I can think of, so if you'd like me to make another post like this, do let me know.
You can also check out book subscription sites like Fairyloot, Illumicrate, Litjoy Crate, Owlcrate, The Bookish Box and Shop, and The Broken Binding, which do a mixture of book subscription boxes, and one-off book purchases, along with bookish goodies. Waterstones are also great for exclusive editions- just search 'exclusive hardbacks/paperbacks' and a big list will come up. I'd advise preordering their exclusives as they usually sell out online before release day. Barnes and Noble do gorgeous special editions and leather bounds, too, but as they don't deliver to the UK, try Indigo in Canada, who do. They stock many of the same exclusive editions, just not the B&N leatherbounds. (Sad face).
I hope this helps you find some beautiful books this Christmas. Just don't blame me if this starts you on the path to a beautiful book addiction!
Do you have a favourite special edition book?
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