Brainiac's holiday gift ideas, part 2

This year, everyone in my family is receiving a copy of my new book, "Taking Things Seriously," on Xmas day. But I have a million other gift ideas, readers, and I'm sharing them with you.

For the cinephiles and movie buffs in your life, I've got two great books to suggest. (1) "The Best Old Movies for Families" (Anchor), a helpful and entertaining guide to renting classic movies that the whole family can enjoy (and discuss), by Globe film critic Ty Burr. (2) "Movies (Little Black Book)," a comprehensive guide to the 1,000 most important "moments" (movies, actors, technological developments, etc.) in cinema history, edited by another local film critic, Chris Fujiwara; ex-Ideas columnist James Parker and I are two of many contributors.

One of the best novels of 2007, in this reader's opinion, is "Jamestown" (Soft Skull), a brilliant, funny post-apocalyptic adventure that recapitulates the John Smith/Pocahontas story, by Matthew Sharpe. (I talked it up on March 20. I should also point out that Soft Skull is offering a package deal, for those interested in buying more of their excellent 2007 books.)

Speaking of post-apocalyptic fiction, on March 23, I announced the publication of a Library of America edition of four Philip K. Dick novels of the 1960s ("The Man in the High Castle," "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch," "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and "Ubik"), introduced by Jonathan Lethem. A terrific present for science fiction fans and anyone who enjoys thrilling adventure and far-out philosophical speculation.

And speaking of thrilling adventure and far-out philosophical speculation, on April 24, I reported that Dan "Ghost World" Clowes has done the cover illustration for Penguin's new edition of Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein." I've put this on my own Xmas wish list.

Looking for some top-notch nonfiction? On March 23, I recommended "Socrates in Love: Philosophy for a Passionate Heart" (Norton), by Christopher Phillips, and "Words Without Borders: The World Through the Eyes of Writers" (Anchor), ed. Alane Salierno Mason, Dedi Felman, and Samantha Schnee. On April 3, I talked up "Dream: Re-imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy" (New Press), by NYU media professor and political activist Stephen Duncombe. (That same day, Slate published my review of the book.)

Books aren't the only possible gift, of course. On April 17, I expressed excitement about the Start Here line of notebooks created by New York-based design studio Little Fury, whose motto is: "No Design for the Sake of Design." Start Here notebooks are entirely un-fussy, they have undesigned (read: blank) covers, and they can be linked together for maximum convenience.

OK, that's enough for now. But more ideas are on the way!

MORE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FROM BRAINIAC: 1st installment