 “Life is intrinsically, well, boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that’s what makes it so boring.” |
 From Ted to Tom: The Illustrated Envelopes of Edward Gorey When Tom Fitzharris met Edward “Ted” Gorey in 1974, the two quickly struck up a friendship. Over the next year, Gorey sent a total of fifty letters to Fitzharris. Every envelope Fitzharris received was illustrated by Gorey, and filled with surprises: typewritten letters with news and opinions from Gorey’s life, handwritten notecards with unexpected quotes, sketches, inside jokes, and a host of other joyous miscellany. |
 Edward Gorey: 1,000-Piece Puzzle Thoughtfully conceived and engagingly intricate, our 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle features the image Untitled (1965) by the incomparable Edward Gorey. The creator of more than one hundred works, from a wealth of darkly hilarious books to the animated opening sequence of the PBS television series Mystery!, Gorey was a master of the amusing, the strange, and the unexpected. His artworks are collected and treasured throughout the world. |
 Sailing Ship Kite Set sail and soar on the wind with this classic sailing ship kite that also doubles as home decor. Each handmade kite really flies in the wind and is made from tear-resistant nylon and durable bamboo by Balinese artisans. When the kite is not being used, it makes a beautiful decorative object to display on a mantelpiece, in a child’s bedroom, or anywhere in need of some nautical charm. |
 Color-Changing Fish Umbrella This fun and practical children’s umbrella is illustrated with fish whose colors appear on contact with water and disappear once the umbrella is dry. Its transparent design enables the child to see where they are walking, and its manual opening is fitted with a protection system so it can be opened and closed without pinching little fingers. A colorful accessory, this umbrella is ideal for brightening up outings in the rain. |
 Reader, I Married Him Silver Brontë BraceletThis declarative and witty quotation from Brontë’s masterpiece Jane Eyre, one of the most famous stories of romance in all of literature, is stamped inside this artisan-made silver bracelet. From its outer appearance, this looks like an elegant silver cuff; printed inside, it’s an intimate declaration of commitment, making it the perfect gift for an engagement, wedding, anniversary, or just to celebrate the union of hearts and minds. |
 James Thurber Reading Dog PinWhat a pedigree: not only is this pup featured on the cover of James Thurber’s book of New Yorker cartoons, he or she also appeared on posters advertising a major exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art (A Mile and a Half of Lines: The Art of James Thurber). The irresistible image now adorns this sterling silver pin that is also fitted with a loop through which a chain can be threaded—so the pin can be worn both as a brooch and as a necklace (chain not included). |
 STET! A game for language lovers, grammar geeks, and bibliophilesWhats’ wrong with this sentence? If that misplaced apostrophe leapt right off the page, this is the game for you. Based on the New York Times bestseller by Random House’s copy chief Benjamin Dreyer, the game’s 100 entertaining sentences await you, the copyeditor, to correct—or, alternatively, to STET (a copyeditor’s term that means “let it stand”). |
 The Snooty Bookshop PostcardsThis postcard set celebrates more than a decade of Tom Gauld’s contributions to The Guardian with fifty of his most beloved strips, on everything from “Procrastination for Creative Writers, a 10-Week Course,” to an alternative bookshop shelving section (“Yes, we do have a copy of the book you’re looking for. You’ll find it in the ‘Vastly Overrated’ section of the ‘So-called Classics’ Department”). |
 Edward Gorey Sparkler Birthday Cards With these notecards on hand, you’ll always be able to send a sparkling birthday greeting. Message on front of card: “I hope that you are pleased to see / this card that comes to you from me.” Inside greeting: “Happy Birthday!” |
 Edward Gorey Dancing Cats: 300-Piece Puzzle These felines—who can be found knitting, skating, balancing, and juggling their way through Edward Gorey's book Dancing Cats and Neglected Murderesses—fit right in with the rest of his anthropomorphic animals and eccentrics. |
 Edward Gorey Birthday Cake Cards With these notecards on hand, you’ll always be able to send a sweet birthday greeting. From the bow on the cook’s apron to the smile on the clock, every detail comes together happily in this celebratory greeting card. Inside greeting: “Happy Birthday!” |
Mugs
Made in Scotland, in a factory on Loch Lomond, by a family business. The company tells us, “Each mug is printed and decorated in the UK by our cheery, hardworking, skilled, and experienced staff.”
The company has produced bespoke bone china mugs for Orla Kiely, Paul Smith, Lulu Guinness, Vivienne Westwood, the Tate, the National Galleries, the National Trust, and many schools, churches, galleries, and other organizations.
Time Spent Reading Is Never Wasted Mug
Keep Pedalling Mug
NATO Alphabet Mug
 Inverted World NYRB Baseball Cap Sport a hat that matches the absurdity of this day and age featuring the title of the NYRB classic Inverted World by Christopher Priest. The 1974 science fiction novel is about a city in crisis: the people are growing restive, the population is dwindling, and the rulers know that, for all their efforts, slowly but surely the city is slipping ever farther behind the optimum. Journey to this unique fictional world with this chic accessory. |
 Life and Fate NYRB Baseball Cap Two simple four-letter words: “Life” and “Fate.” Their pairing evokes the title of a book judged so dangerous in the Soviet Union that not only the manuscript but the ribbons on which it had been typed were confiscated by the state. Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman is considered one of the supreme achievements of modern Russian literature, a profound reckoning with the dark forces that dominated the twentieth century. |
 When We Cease to Understand the World NYRB Baseball Cap These words elicit a common experience: to grapple with questions about our very existence. It is a maddening feeling held by many of us who walk this strange path called life—even felt amongst the greatest minds like Fritz Haber, Alexander Grothendieck, Erwin Schrödinger. These are some of the luminaries into whose troubled lives Benjamín Labatut thrusts the reader. |
 Collective Noun Animals Tea Towel This imaginative and unique tea towel features fifteen wonderfully evocative collective nouns with illustrations by British artist Jan Morley. Hand screened in four colors and printed on 100% unbleached cotton. |
 Collective Noun Birds Tea Towel Flock, gaggle, bevy? We are thrilled to expand our repertoire of collective nouns beyond the commonplace and into the exceptional: a chime of wrens, a bouquet of pheasants, a charm of goldfinches. |
 Collective Noun Animals Tea Towel #2 A hum of bumblebees, a piddle of puppies, a pounce of cats, a drift of sheep, and more, on a hand-screened unbleached cotton tea towel. |
 Janet All-Occasion Greeting Cards by Glen Baxter In a multitude of books published across four decades, “Colonel” Glen Baxter has built a world and a language all his own—slightly familiar, decidedly abnormal, irresistibly funny. |
 Walt Whitman Earrings These handmade sterling silver domed-disc earrings, for pierced ears, are stamped with Walt Whitman’s rallying cry for individual and collective liberty: “Resist much, obey little.” The poem in which the line appears, “Caution,” was first published as one of the “Messenger Leaves” in the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass. |
 Camera Pencil SharpenerThis manual pencil sharpener, designed to look like a vintage twin-lens reflex camera, can be adjusted to match the size of most pencils. Insert a pencil in the top “lens” and turn the handle on the back to sharpen. |
“I Am Born” OnesieWhat better way for a baby to announce that they have arrived? “Chapter I. I Am Born”—the first line of Charles Dickens’s classic David Copperfield—is printed in black across the chest of this white 100% organic cotton baby onesie. |
 Gluggle JugDiscover the charm of the Gluggle Jug—a beloved British design icon known for the delightful “glug-glug” sound it makes when water pours from its mouth. Handmade in Stoke-on-Trent, England, these jugs combine heritage artistry with quirky personality. |
Prohibition and Repeal Amendments Glasses
A pair of pint or rocks glasses: a witty and, yes, sobering reminder of the historical path to legal drinking in the United States. One glass in each set is printed with a reproduction of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors. The other glass is printed with a reproduction of the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition.
These pairs of handsome glasses are perfect for raising two toasts—one to the bootleg liquor and underground speakeasies that kept spirits alive during those dark days in American history, and one to the ultimate decision to let US citizens drink freely.
Prohibition and Repeal Amendments Rocks Glasses
Prohibition and Repeal Amendments Pint Glasses
David Levine Illustrations
A print of a favorite writer, artist, historical figure, or personal hero makes a thoughtful gift for anyone on your holiday list—or for your own home or office. We are able to once again offer framed prints of the hundreds of caricatures by celebrated artist David Levine that enriched the pages of The New York Review of Books for more than four decades. Choose among writers, artists, composers, poets, musicians, politicians, historical figures, pop personalities, and more.
Above: Victor Hugo, Beatrix Potter, Simone de Beauvoir, James Barrie, Vladimir Nabokov
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