Having a crisis over what to buy for the philosophy lover who overthinks everything? Our philosophy best books of the year lists are a great place to start. If that doesn’t work, here’s our hand-picked selection of gift ideas for philosophers:

We love both the Roman Empire and ancient Greece at Five Books, and have a rich store of book recommendations, from Classics books for teenagers to the best grammar book if you want to actually learn Latin or Greek. You can find all our book recommendations here. If that doesn’t satisfy the Classicist in your life, here’s our selection of non-book gifts: all designed to take them back to that idyllic era when throwing people to the lions was a spectator sport and poisoning a shortcut to political power.

Writing a first book can be a long, slow and solitary road. Support the hopeful novelist, poet or non-fiction writer in your life by buying them one of these useful gifts this holiday season. For more ideas, please see our ‘how to write’ archives, where we have a dozen interviews with authors who recommend titles that they found helped their own writing process.

What to get a child who loves to read? Ideally, books. We have many kids’ book recommendations on the site, which we hope you’ll browse to find the perfect book for your child to curl up with. But should they also be interested in a non-book gift, here are some suggestions that have worked for our under-14s.

Nothing is more conducive to developing a love for reading among children than having a whole library of exciting titles to choose from at home. We have dozens of wonderful book recommendations in our children’s and young adults archives, while a beautifully bound box set can make for a very special gift to be treasured forever. Here are five evergreen favourites which would be at home on any child’s shelf.

Realised that you’ve left it to late to forge an indestructible ring of invisibility in the pit of the volcanic Mount Doom this year? Don’t despair. We’ve compiled a short list of suggestions that you might consider giving as a present to the Tolkien fan in your life.

As Five Books, we do our best to ensure that finding a gift for that special mathematician in your life is as easy as pi! In our view, books make the best presents, and to that end here’s our list of the best mathematics books of 2019. But what’s out there beyond books? Last year, we asked Professor Nick Higham (whose interview on applied mathematics has been VERY popular on our site), for some suggestions. His recommendation: stationery. As he writes in his blog, “There is a lot to be said for writing mathematics on paper, at least for early drafts.”

Show the brilliant bibliophile in your life how much you value them with one of these beautiful luxury gifts, as selected by the Five Books team. But prepare to dig deep: these items are all at the upper end of the price scale.

Does your loved one At Christmas… no more desire a rose / Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth? And, as a result, you find yourself stuck in a tricky gift-giving situation? Well, perhaps we might help. We have a whole series of interviews about Shakespeare’s life and work; you may, for example, be interested in giving them a biography of the bard as recommended by the scholar James Shapiro. Failing that, we’ve gathered a selection of gift ideas below, to suit all budgets.

Culture vultures are a fascinating species. While often reclusive and known to hoard, they may also engage in subtle public displays of their interests. Known methods of literary and artistic signalling include the right tote bag and a suitable scarf. They can be difficult to buy for, however, but Five Books has you covered.