Does it seem as though your loved one owns every CD and DVD known to man? Follow our easy-to-use guide to find the perfect present for the entertainment buff in your life.
YOUR GIFTEE OF CHOICE …
IS A FRESH-OUT-OF-COLLEGE OFFICE ASSISTANT. YES Go straight for a generously stocked iTunes gift card. (May we suggest $75 or more? Those singles add up fast.)
NO
STILL TREASURES HER RUSTY, OLD FILM CAMERA AND REFUSES TO GO DIGITAL. YES Get her Folk Photography: The American Real-Photo Postcard 1905-1930 (Verse Chorus Press, $25) by Luc Sante.
NO
LOVES THE THEATRICAL MUSICIANSHIP ON THE FOX HIT GLEE. YES Pick up the debut album from American Idol’s Adam Lambert, For Your Entertainment (RCA, $14).
NO
LOVES A SHOW THAT MAKES HER THINK. YES Look no further than Lost: Season 5 Dharma Initiative Orientation Kit (Buena Vista Home Entertainment, $120/ DVD and $134/Blu-ray).
NO
DREAMS OF ONE DAY SEEING HER OWN BOOK ON A STORE SHELF. YES The Paris Review Interviews, Vols. 1-4 [box set] (Picador, $65) is essential reading for those literarily inclined.
NO
THINKS ”LIKE A ROLLING STONE” WAS WRITTEN ABOUT HER. YES She’ll love Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet (Scribner, $25) by Seth Rogovoy.
NO
ALWAYS ROOTS FOR
MASAHARU MORIMOTO ON IRON CHEF
AMERICA. YES The kitchen is hers to master in Miniclip Sushi Go Round (South Peak Games, $30), which is available for Wii or Nintendo DS.
NO
CONSIDERS HERSELF QUITE THE HAUTE HOME CHEF. YES Let her try her hand at chef Thomas Keller’s recipes with the new cookbook Ad Hoc at Home (Artisan, $50).
NO
PREFERS A BIT OF SWAGGER WITH HER (BUDGETFRIENDLY) MEALS. YES Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price (Atria, $16) by the titular rapper will satisfy her appetite
NO
LIKES HER BIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR SUBJECTS LIVING. YES My Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times (Little, Brown and Company; $28) by Harold Evans will intrigue her.
NO
LIKES HER BIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR SUBJECTS LONG GONE. YES Who better than the Bard? Try Shakespeare (The Illustrated and Updated Edition) (Harper, $30) by Bill Bryson.
NO
IS EIGHT YEARS OLD (OR CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH HER INNER CHILD). YES Everyone needs a copy of a classic; try
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, $40).
NO
NEEDS HELP FINDING HER INNER EIGHTYEAR- OLD. YES Let her rock out with LEGO Rock Band (MTV Games; $50 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii; $30 for Nintendo DS).