With the festive shopping season in full swing, we delve into the Stanfords online Christmas store to reveal our top 10 Christmas gift ideas for him:
1. World Map Hip Flask
There comes a time in a man’s life when having a meaningful hip flask becomes important. Effectively a rite of passage, a well-made, attractive hip flask is something to be treasured, loved and utilised on brisk country walks, football away days or long train journeys – no matter the choice of tipple contained within. Few can compete with the attractiveness of the World Map Hip Flask and its colourful, postal-themed map of the world. Featuring a captive screw top, the flask is presented in an equally-appealing branded box: the perfect gift for the discerning gentleman this Christmas.
> Buy the World Map Hip Flask!
2. Metro Maps of the World
Visit almost any of the world’s major cities and there’s normally one thing that stands out: the ubiquity of the Underground, Metro, U-bahn or subway map. They’re everywhere – glanced at by commuters checking the fastest route or intently studied by tourists worried about getting lost. Rightly regarded as works of art in their own right, more than 100 of the best are now documented in Mark Ovenden’s beautiful hardback book, from Harry Beck’s classic Tube map to the striking Tokyo Subway map. In addition to some of the better-known maps and diagrams, the book features rare historical maps and publicity material – exploring the world’s first subterranean railways to ones still at the drawing board stage.
> Buy Metro Maps of the World!
3. Paper Airplane Fold-a-Day Desk Calendar 2013
Cast your mind back to your school days: a sheet of paper on the desk in front of you, a fold here, a fold there, getting the right angle for the wings, et voila, the perfect paper aeroplane. Those carefree days might be over, but with the Paper Airplane Fold-a-Day Desk Calendar you can at least re-live some schooldays nostalgia – albeit without annoying the teacher. Each day of the year features an individual set of instructions written by origami experts on how to make a different kind of paper plane, with the reverse side showcasing the plane’s livery and the fold lines. Chocks away!
> Buy the Paper Airplane Fold-a-Day Desk Calendar 2013!
4. Yellow Submarine TeaSubTea Infuser
It was one of the most psychedelic films of the 60s; a bizarre animated musical tribute to The Beatles. Its title sequence featured the celebrated Yellow Submarine, and John, Paul, George and Ringo were only too happy to sing about living there. 44 years on and the Yellow Submarine is back, though rather than carrying the Fab Four it’s doing just as sterling a job infusing tea leaves. Manufactured from silicone and safe to use in the dishwasher, the Tea Sub will submerge your favourite tea to the bottom of the mug before creating the ideal infusion and ultimately, the best brew this side of Liverpool.
> Buy the Yellow Submarine TeaSubTea Infuser!
5. The Eye Of Time
Turn the clock back to Regency London, and the capital’s gentlemen were faced with a dilemma – how to make a portable travel clock that was small enough to carry but easy to read? Then one anonymous watchmaker had a light bulb moment, despite electricity being another century away: the Eye of Time, which uses a magnified lens to double the size of the clock face. In the age of candlelight, this lens could also be used to light fires or read maps while on location. There’s even a compass on the reverse of the clock, just in case our Regency explorers got lost.
6. How to Land a Jumbo Jet
According to the European Cockpit Association, four in 10 pilots have fallen asleep while flying a plane. An alarming statistic, but help is at hand with Lonely Planet’s How to Land a Jumbo Jet! Featuring an intriguing collection of travel facts, figures and ephemera, this is the book that will tell you everything you need to know about the world, including how to land a Boeing 747 on it. Readers will also find out how to eat an ackee without feeling sick, the reasons for luggage disappearing at airports, which is the proudest nation in the world and why, and the best place in the world to experience a volcanic eruption.
> Buy How to Land a Jumbo Jet!
7. The World’s Best Street Food
Eating abroad is one of life’s great pleasures – a journey of discovery that broadens our culinary horizons, something that’s arguably much-needed thanks to the UK’s less-than-favourable reputation in the kitchen. Most travellers will say their best eating experiences aren’t in swanky restaurants but on the street, and not simply because it’s kinder on the wallet. Lonely Planet has decided it’s time to celebrate with The World’s Best Street Food – a tantalising collection of culinary recommendations that dispels a few myths on the way, like which city is home to the world’s greatest sandwich…
> Buy The World’s Best Street Food!
8. Stanfords Trekking Pole
Too much turkey, one too many Brussels sprouts and a larger-than-planned helping of Christmas pudding. The antidote? A brisk post-dinner walk – and if you’re feeling a little full, let the Stanfords Trekking pole take the strain. Featuring an anti-shock mechanism (which can be turned off on uphill climbs) and a supportive wrist strap, our adjustable aluminium walking pole is the perfect walkers’ accompaniment, particularly if walking is part of a new year’s resolution. A further feature is the pole’s hard tungsten tip, which is exceptionally durable – even on rocky terrain.
> Buy the Stanfords Trekking Pole!
9. On the Map, Simon Garfield
Simon Garfield’s paean to the map is one of the most lucid and accessible histories of cartography ever written, and almost certainly the most fun. He transports the reader back in time to Ancient Egypt, the discovery of the New World and the planet according to Gerardus Mercator, the Flemish cartographer whose 1569 projection of the world is still widely used, before bringing us bang up to date with the development of the sat nav and the goings-on at the Googleplex. There’s also an investigation into how the development of maps will affect the human brain and its ability to store information, with some intriguing findings. There’s even a mention or two of the world’s best maps and travel store…
10. Stanfords General Map of the World Wall Map
In 1921 we produced a new map of the world featuring then newly-independent nations and Britain’s imperial possessions using the Mercator projection. Too attractive to be consigned to the history books, we decided to reproduce the map and restore it to its former glory. With latitude and longitude lines at 15 degree intervals, the map also features the world’s major rivers, railway lines and principal shipping routes with distances. In addition to a wall map, we’ve also reproduced this 1920s classic as wrapping paper, though it’s unlikely you’ll want to tear it on Christmas morning…
> Buy the Stanfords General Map of the World Wall Map!
Need more festive inspiration? Check out our extended range of Christmas gift ideas for him!