Thames & Hudson is proud to launch Gifts this autumn, not just as a part of our growing business, but as an exciting new approach to engaging with the subjects we publish. Books are wonderful, but there is no better way of approaching a new subject than by having fun with it.
Gifts by Thames & Hudson works to answer the big question: how can we make the subject—be it art, classical literature, or science — fun?
Publishing Director Marc Valli has this to say: ‘There has certainly been a bit of a 'gift gold rush' in the last few years, with major publishing groups investing heavily, often indiscriminately, in gifts. [...] These gifts, games and jigsaws are no less rich or original than our books. Each one represents a new way of conveying content. They are books by other means.’
The Gift team has worked closely with artists and writers to create an environment of inventiveness to help ignite that creative spark. For example, when developing The Odyssey in 1000 Pieces - A Storytelling Jigsaw Puzzle, the team discussed the fact that The Odyssey was not originally a book but part of a long oral tradition.
"I kept imagining what it would be like for a young person in the Bronze Age to hear that story for the first time," Valli says. "What images would be running through their heads? This jigsaw is another way of telling that amazing story."
The puzzle is illustrated by the British duo Good Wives and Warriors and comes with a long concertina book written by author Daisy Dunn.
Other offerings on the 2024 list bring out the fun of art and science. Queen of Arts-Women Artists Playing Cards and Book is a hybrid box with a 120-page book and an illustrated set of playing cards featuring 54 women artists.
The writer, curator Lydia Miller, looked back to the late Middle Ages, when playing cards were first invented and adapted the set for a new audience; the four suits originally represented ‘knights, clergy, traders, and peasants’, but in this colourful deck they represent ‘seers, warriors, influencers, and dissenters’.
The cards themselves are beautifully illustrated by Laura Callaghan, known for her powerful renderings of contemporary women.
The Gift range has plenty of offerings for families too. "The idea here is to have some fun time with your family learning amazing facts connected to nature," Valli says.
One such game is Bugtastic Bingo by Yuval Zommer, the bestselling author of the Big Book series. Inspired by the wildly popular The Big Book of Bugs, Zommer created brand new drawings, decking out this immersive board game with all manner of funny bugs and insect.
In Bigger Than This, the cards fall into four different fields of science: chemistry, zoology, botany and astronomy. Players collect cards to win the game by asking opponents for cards representing elements, animals, plants, or celestial objects that are either bigger or smaller than the ones pictured on the cards they hold.
Whichever exciting new products you go for, it’s sure to be a delightful (and educational) time.
