First-edition books always make great gifts, and while watching Netflix’s Martha a couple of weeks ago, it occurred to me that its subject’s back catalogue is a real treasure trove. Martha Stewart has published no fewer than 100 homemaking books over the past 40 years, and they’d all be of interest to anybody who’s into cooking, crafting, or misunderstood celebrities. From her lavish ’80s dinner-party books to the understated and elegant home-décor guides of the ’00s Martha Stewart Living era, there’s something for everyone, and the art direction and attention to detail make them beautiful objects to receive and display. I’ve purchased three so far and am particularly pleased with 1997’s Good Things: The Best of Martha Stewart Living.
Vintage Martha Stewart books are easy to find, although not always cheap. Last-minute shoppers in New York City: I asked around at a few of my favorite secondhand cookbook stores, and while Bonnie Slotnick in the East Village has “no intention of stocking Martha Stewart anytime soon” (the trade was barely illegal and she did her time, but okay), Joanne Hendricks in the West Village has a couple of signed editions in the shop at time of writing. Sites like Thriftbooks, eBay, and Etsy are still your best bet, and I’ve linked to some of my favorite options below.
The ultimate Martha gift is definitely a first edition of her first book, Entertaining, from 1982. It’s a collector’s item these days and priced accordingly, but there are still plenty of copies floating around that would make the most dedicated dinner-party host in your life very happy.
More affordable but just as kitsch: Stewart’s second book, Quick Cook, for the busy stockbroker who owns a Le Creuset. I’ve got this one, and the gratuitous photography of her kitchen setup is stunning.
Martha’s finger-food book is a classic and honestly just really fun. Tiny, fussy little snacks are a lost art.
Sometimes in this grim age of gift guides, I think we’ve all forgotten the true spirit of Christmas, which is actually wholesome crafts. Stewart’s holiday DIY books would make slam-dunk gifts for anybody you know who has a whole drawer dedicated to wrapping paper and ribbons and stamps.
Crafting is a year-round activity, of course, and you just know that this book’s découpage section goes crazy.
A good gift for anyone who needs to move on from that one Alison Roman galette recipe.
For the bride-to-be who started out thinking that she was going to have a chill non-wedding-wedding but has since pivoted toward hosting her reception at a country club, here’s some unapologetically extravagant visual inspiration that’ll provide a nice break from Pinterest.
For the friend who aspires toward buying a fixer-upper upstate. So much better than watching TikToks of people sanding floorboards in their colonials.
Expensive, but very special. I’d argue that gardening and landscaping are Stewart’s greatest talents, and this book goes into incredible detail in describing how to re-create the country Connecticut flowerbeds that first made her famous.
Stewart’s late-’90s books are actually much more alluring to me than her late-’80s ones. You know Meg Ryan’s aesthetic in You’ve Got Mail? Upper West Side apartment full of beige vases and lamps, Marc Jacobs twin sets? Western civilization’s interior-design peak? Here’s a detailed guide to re-creating it.
Also from the Martha Stewart Living magazine era, this guide to repurposing secondhand finds that’d be appreciated by thrift-store pros.
Stewart recently came out with this new book that compiles the 100 best recipes from years gone by. I’ve got a copy of this, and while at first glance the art direction is devastatingly and insultingly bland compared with what you see above, there are actually lots of vintage photos inside, accompanied by interesting commentary from the woman herself.
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