Christmas
Gifts for curious minds
A few great books to give this year. Most are in print, so a new copy is the easy choice; if you’d rather give a second-hand one, or the book is out of print, we only show copies in good condition or better.
New prices are the publishers’ list prices. Used prices include postage. Prices checked 12 November 2026.
For anyone studying maths, or just curious
Ramanujan: Twelve Lectures on Subjects Suggested by His Life and Work
G. H. Hardy
Hardy, who brought Ramanujan to Cambridge, on the man and the mathematics they shared: primes, partitions and the astonishing formulas Ramanujan wrote down.
Which edition: The AMS Chelsea reprint (1999) of Hardy’s 1940 lectures.
Out of print
No new copies, so give a good second-hand one: our guide below helps you choose.
Used from £101.74
For a maths PhD, or anyone with a degree in maths
Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V
Bruce C. Berndt
Ramanujan filled his notebooks with thousands of results and almost no proofs. Berndt spent some twenty years proving them, or finding where they were proved: the notebooks, opened up.
Which edition: Springer, five volumes (1985–1998).
Buy new · in print
Part INew: price at the shops · Used from £131.30Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part I, new at Blackwell’s ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part I, new at Waterstones ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part I, new at Bookshop.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)Part IINew: price at the shopsBuy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part II, new at Blackwell’s ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part II, new at Waterstones ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part II, new at Bookshop.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)Part IIINew: price at the shops · Used from £163.43Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part III, new at Blackwell’s ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part III, new at Waterstones ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part III, new at Bookshop.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)Part IVNew: price at the shops · Used from £142.19Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part IV, new at Blackwell’s ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part IV, new at Waterstones ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part IV, new at Bookshop.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)Part VNew: price at the shops · Used from £170.11Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part V, new at Blackwell’s ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part V, new at Waterstones ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Ramanujan’s Notebooks, Parts I–V, Part V, new at Bookshop.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. How we earn
For anyone curious about how the world works
The Feynman Lectures on Physics
Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton and Matthew Sands
Feynman’s Caltech lectures of 1961–64, the best-loved introduction to physics there is: mechanics, light and heat, electromagnetism, then quantum mechanics, all in his own voice.
Which edition: The New Millennium Edition (Basic Books, 2011): three hardbacks in a slipcase, with the errata corrected.
Buy new · in print
Boxed set, Volumes I–IIINew: price at the shops · Used from £141.16Buy The Feynman Lectures on Physics new at Blackwell’s ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy The Feynman Lectures on Physics new at Waterstones ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy The Feynman Lectures on Physics new at Bookshop.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. How we earn
For the mathematician who loves where ideas come from
Introduction to Analysis of the Infinite
Leonhard Euler, translated by John D. Blanton
Euler’s Introductio of 1748, the book that made analysis: functions, infinite series, e and the exponential, built from scratch and still a pleasure to read.
Which edition: Blanton’s English translation (Springer, 1988 and 1990), in two books.
Buy new · in print
All 2: used from £233.47
Book INew: price at the shops · Used from £114.63Buy Introduction to Analysis of the Infinite, Book I, new at Blackwell’s ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Introduction to Analysis of the Infinite, Book I, new at Waterstones ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Introduction to Analysis of the Infinite, Book I, new at Bookshop.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)Book IINew: price at the shops · Used from £118.84Buy Introduction to Analysis of the Infinite, Book II, new at Blackwell’s ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Introduction to Analysis of the Infinite, Book II, new at Waterstones ↗ (opens in a new tab)Buy Introduction to Analysis of the Infinite, Book II, new at Bookshop.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. How we earn
Buying a vintage book as a gift
For a book that’s out of print, a good second-hand copy is the only way, and an old one can be a lovely present. A quick guide to choosing well.
- 01
Read the condition grade
As new or fine is close to perfect; very good shows a little wear; good is a sound, complete copy with signs of reading. For a gift, look for good or better, and pass over “reading copy”, “fair” or “poor”.
- 02
Ask for photographs
A good bookseller will send pictures of the spine, the boards, the title page and any marks. If a listing uses a stock photo, ask to see the actual copy.
- 03
Check the edition and printing
The copyright page says which edition and printing it is. A first edition costs more; a later printing of the same edition reads just as well, and often has corrections.
- 04
Look for the jacket, and what’s inside
A dust jacket in good order adds a great deal to a hardback, especially an old one. Ex-library stamps, underlining, notes and foxing (brown spots) lower the value; say yes to them only if the price reflects it.
- 05
Buy from booksellers who describe their books
Specialist dealers, often members of the ABA or PBFA, grade carefully and take returns. Marketplace sellers can be excellent too: read their description, not just the grade.
- 06
Leave time for Christmas
Many vintage books come from small dealers who post them themselves. Order by early December, and check the dealer’s last posting date.