Gifts for history buffs

What do you get the history nerd in your life, since time machines still remain tantalizingly out of reach? These gifts will satisfy that historical instinct to escape into the past, whether it's with words, music, or even clothing. A great historical gift isn't just about history; it's a way to be transported to another time, in the comfort of your own. —Phil Edwards

Clue (vintage edition)

A true detective would never use plastic, and the same should apply when you play Clue. This board simulates the 1963 mod style of the game, long before plastic took over.

Hardcore History

Dan Carlin's much-loved history podcast makes the past vivid, exciting, and fresh. Buy this collection of episodes 1–39 for the nerd you love.

Car Crazy

This is a history of early cars, when they were the domain of tinkerers who invented the future. Focused on Henry Ford and Ransom Olds (of Oldsmobile), it shows how breathtakingly new automobiles once were.

The New Atlas of World History

This atlas plots mass migrations, major historical events, writing systems, and more. And it covers these topics with gorgeous full-color maps, making it the perfect coffee table book for any history nerd.

Wool WWII-era military sweater

How about lounging around on a chilly day somewhere outside Paris (or imagining you are)? This sweater has you covered. Based on WWII military sweaters, it's durable and vintage, but not too costumey.

Lincoln Logs 100th anniversary building set

Lincoln Logs have a neat historical pedigree. They were actually invented by the son of Frank Lloyd Wright. And reportedly, his inspiration was one of his father's timber-filled buildings in Japan.

Folk Songs for the 21st Century

This album from 1960 is a kooky chronicle of Cold War–era paranoia, including songs such as "Crawl Out Through the Fallout" and "Radioactive Mama."

Between Man and Beast

This work about the 19th-century scientific classification of the gorilla is an adventure that includes the history of colonialism, the emerging concept of evolution, and, of course, gorillas.

The Medieval Cookbook

Maggie Black's medieval cookbook is packed with history and rave-worthy recipes, like the almond chicken with golden leeks and onions.

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