The Vault gift guide
History books worth gifting
Shopping for someone who loves history? Every book here is the real source behind a story on The History Vault 101, picked because it reads like a novel and is true. Find the person you're buying for below.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Each button opens the book's Amazon page, where you'll see today's price, delivery dates and gift-wrap options before you buy.
For the one who can't put down a survival story
Shipwrecks, castaways and the ones who made it home
True stories that read like thrillers. Good for dads, grandads and anyone who binges disaster documentaries.
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Batavia's Graveyard
They survived the shipwreck. Then one survivor murdered 125 of them.
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Erebus: The Story of a Ship
129 men sailed into the Arctic. None came back.
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When I Fell From the Sky
She fell two miles from a plane and walked out of the Amazon.
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Titanic Survivor
She survived the Olympic, the Titanic and the Britannic.
For the Cold War buff and the conspiracy skeptic
The files governments hoped nobody would read
Every one of these is built on declassified documents, not rumor. The perfect gift for the person who says "you can't make this up."
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Nuclear Folly
The Soviet officer who refused to fire, and the day the world almost ended.
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Midnight in Chernobyl
The Elephant's Foot, the deadliest object on Earth.
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Poisoner in Chief
MKUltra, and the scientist who fell from a 13th-floor window.
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Body of Secrets
Operation Northwoods, the plan the Joint Chiefs signed off on.
For the listener, not the reader
Give them the audiobook instead.
Almost every book in this guide is on Audible. If they commute, run or drive a lot, an audiobook gets finished; a paperback on the nightstand often doesn't.
For the true-crime and unsolved-mystery fan
Cases still open, codes still unbroken
For the podcast listener who already knows every famous case. These go deeper than any episode.
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Dead Mountain
Nine hikers, the Dyatlov Pass, and a tent cut open from the inside.
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The Unknown Man
The Somerton Man: no name, and a code nobody has cracked.
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Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony
A whole colony vanished and left one word behind.
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The Code Book
The Copiale cipher, unreadable for 250 years.
For the Bible and faith-and-history reader
Where the old stories came from
Serious, respectful history of the Bible's world, from the flood tablets of Babylon to the oldest manuscripts of the Gospels.
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The Ark Before Noah
They drilled into the boat-shaped mound on Mount Ararat. The first ark was round.
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Misquoting Jesus
20 facts about the historical Jesus most people were never taught.
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The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found
Vesuvius, and the man whose brain turned to glass.
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Cleopatra: A Life
Cleopatra lived closer to the Moon landing than to the pyramids.
For the one who reads three books a month
A Kindle Paperwhite, for the fast reader.
Glare-free screen, weeks of battery, and every book in this guide one tap away. The gift that makes all the other gifts easier to read.
For the history nerd who already has everything
The strange corners of the past
Odd, funny and surprising history for the person whose shelves are already full.
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The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England
You wouldn't last 24 hours in medieval Europe.
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The Lost City of Z
El Dorado, the city of gold that never existed.
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Dark Tide
The Boston molasses flood that killed 21 people.
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Last Call
Prohibition, and the alcohol the government poisoned.
Beyond the bookshelf
Gifts for history lovers that aren't books
Things we'd actually want under the tree: build the ships from our stories, dig up history, solve a cold case, or find it in your own DNA.
For the one who rewatched the Titanic and Chernobyl stories
Hold a piece of the disasters we covered
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Revell R.M.S. Titanic model kit (1:700)
Revell's centenary kit of the ship: detailed decks, lifeboats with davits, and a display stand. Needs model glue and paint.
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Rolife Titanic 3D wooden puzzle with lights
433 wooden pieces and built-in LED lights, about 19.5 inches long when finished. A calm weekend build for adults.
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GQ GMC-300S Geiger counter
A real Geiger-Muller counter that picks up beta, gamma and X-ray radiation. Try it on uranium glass or old orange Fiestaware.
For the one who wants to find history themselves
Metal detectors that beginners actually keep using
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Fisher F22 metal detector
Weatherproof, light, and simple enough for a first weekend at the beach or a field. Thousands of reviews.
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Minelab Vanquish 340
Multi-frequency and fully automatic: switch it on and go. A great first detector from a top brand.
For the one who asks where the family came from
DNA kits: their own history, in a box
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AncestryDNA test kit
Ethnicity estimate plus matches with relatives, linked to the biggest family-tree database. A holiday favourite.
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23andMe Ancestry Service
Ancestry breakdown, migration maps and relative finder from a simple saliva test.
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23andMe Ancestry Service, 3-pack
Three kits in one order: one for them, and two for a parent, sibling or cousin so the whole family can compare results.
For the desk, the shelf and the wall
Wonders of the world, built by hand
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LEGO Architecture Great Pyramid of Giza (21058)
The last standing wonder of the ancient world, with a cut-away interior. A display piece for adults.
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LEGO Architecture Statue of Liberty
Nearly 1,700 pieces and one of LEGO's best-reviewed landmark sets.
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Rand McNally Classic World Wall Map
A big, classic-style world map for the office or study. Plan the next rabbit hole.
For game night
History games that don't feel like homework
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Chronology: The Game Where You Make History
Put events in the right order. Easy to learn, surprisingly competitive, great with mixed ages.
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HISTORY Channel Trivia Game
2,000+ questions across eras. Perfect for the relative who always knows the answer.
For the true-crime and unsolved-mystery fan
Open a cold case at the kitchen table
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Unsolved Case Files: Harmony Ashcroft
A cold-case file in a box: suspect interviews, evidence and crime-scene photos. Their first case, with thousands of reviews.
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Hunt A Killer: Death at the Dive Bar
An immersive murder-mystery box of letters, receipts and clues from the Old Scratch Tavern. Play solo or as a group.
A free one, too
Not sure what they'd like? Send them The Vault Files.
25 true stories history class skipped, in one free PDF. A good way to find out which rabbit hole they fall into first.
Get the free PDFAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Book, Audible, Kindle and product links on this page are affiliate links; prices and availability are set by Amazon. Want the full list? See the whole Vault Library.