Holiday Gift Guide 2013: For The Culture Vulture In Your Life

The Perfect Gifts For The Culture Vulture In Your Life

You know that friend who always seems to know about every cultural thing before anyone else does? The kind of friend who is impossible to surprise? We’ve searched high and low (culture, that is) to find the the kind of gifts that will bowl over your little know-it-all (plus a few they’ll already know about for good measure). From a band called Death to a Man Ray chess set, they won’t know what hit them.

This story appears in our double holiday gift guide issue of our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, available Friday, Nov. 22 in the iTunes App store.

1
Lichtenstein Sculptor, $90
Rizzoli
Brush up on your pop art trivia with an homage to the Ben-Day dot king, Roy Lichtenstein. Available through Rizzoli New York.Buy it here.
2
The Wes Anderson Collection, $40
This is an ideal gift for any fan of the director. Its gorgeous cover makes it perfect for display, but the contents are as illuminating as its fabulously twee design. Not only does the book include unpublished photos from Anderson's set, but the entire text is a revealing dialogue between the director and film critic Matt Zoller Seitz.Buy it here.
3
Pantone iPhone case, $34.95
Pantone
Surprise your art-savvy friend with a vibrant iPhone case courtesy of the world’s formative authority on color: Pantone.Buy it here.
4
The Wizard of Oz: 75th Anniversary Edition, $29.99
Wendy George
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, Warner Bros. has released an all-new Blu-ray package. Features include an array of documentary and supplemental features (an all-new doc on the making of Oz being a real highlight), plus an option for viewers to sing along with the film's many iconic songs.Buy it here.
5
Raymond Pettibon Note Card Set: Black Flag, $17.95
Wendy George
What music fan can resist a set of note cards featuring artwork by Raymond Pettibon, the artist behind the famous Black Flag logo? Buy it here.
6
The King of Comedy, Price not yet available
Martin Scorsese's prescient black comedy about a fame-obsessed comic (Robert De Niro) who will stop at nothing to get on television hits Blu-ray for the first time ever on Dec. 10, 30 years after its original release. A must-get for the cinephile in your life.Buy it here.
7
Man Ray Chess Set, $380 pieces/$210 board
MoMA Store
Wow your chess-obsessed friends with a board and chess pieces designed by Dada extraordinaire, Man Ray.Buy it here.
8
James Dean Ultimate Collectors' Edition (Blu-ray), $74.96
Amazon
If you or one of your loved ones can't seem to step out of the house without a denim or leather jacket on, go ahead and drop this under their tree. With three documentaries, trailers, behind-the-scenes tidbits and more, this box set offers more than enough excuses to justify plunking down for the hard copies. Honestly, do you think James Dean would have the patience for Wi-Fi lags that bog down your Apple TV or Netflix?Buy it here.
9
A band called DEATH, $20.96
Wendy George
This acclaimed rockumentary tells the unbelievable story of three black teenage brothers in 1970s Detroit who were making proto-punk music far before The Sex Pistols or The Ramones. Buy it here.
10
John Baldessari Beach Towel, $95
Wendy George
What better way to lounge on the seashore than with the cultured accoutrement of a John Baldessari spot painting beach towel? With the subject's face hidden, you're left free to scour the details of the figure's stance and style, just like Mr. Baldessari wanted.Buy it here.
11
JFK 50 Year Commemorative Ultimate Collector's Edition (Blu-ray), $38.99
Amazon
The new Blu-ray release of Oliver Stone's controversial drama about the assassination of JFK gets an update just in time for the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death. Special features include PT-109, a documentary about Kennedy's heroism in World War II, which is available for the first time on Blu-ray or DVD.Buy it here.
12
Cube Drop Earrings by Pico, $110
Guggenheim Store
Wear jewelry, art, geometry and architecture all at once with these cube drop earrings by Pico. Compliments guaranteed.Buy it here.
13
Breaking Bad: The Complete Series, $201.29
Amazon
What better way to binge watch Breaking Bad than on Blu-ray? The complete series boxed set offers not just every episode of the Emmy-winning drama, but 55 hours of supplemental content, and even an apron. There's something Jesse would say about this.Buy it here.
14
USB portable turntable, $99.95
Crosley
This isn't probably going to be an audiophile's dream, but with practicality and some nifty design to boot, Crosley's Executive USB Portable Turntable is sure to please the casual record collector. It can easily convert your dusty LPs to digital files, but then again, isn't the whole point to relish in the warmth that only music playing on wax can provide? Buy it here.
15
This Is How You Lose Her: Deluxe Edition, $40
Junot Diaz's National Book Award-nominated collection of heartbreaking and hilarious short stories is an excellent read. This year, the book has been given an awesome makeover; the amped-up new edition includes a cloth cover and illustrations before each chapter.Buy it here.
16
The Goldfinch, $30
If you read one fiction book that was published this year, we recommend Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. Tartt's second book since her beloved Secret History, The Goldfinch delves into the underbelly of the art world through the eyes of a boy and the small, perplexing painting that captivates him.Buy it here.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this post stated that The Goldfinch was Donna Tartt's first book since Secret History. It is in fact her second.

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