Gifts for him are hard once he has every tool and every pair of socks. These are different: things he will use, and things that ask him for something only he knows.

His story, in his own hand. Dad, Start at the Beginning and The Man I Married ask 200 questions, one to a page, from his first job to the first car, and leave room for the answer. Men of his generation are assumed not to want to talk about themselves. Ask about a car, a boss or a route and most of them will talk for an hour.

Something for the table. Expert Sudoku with 200 or 300 hard puzzles, one large grid to a page. A year with Seneca, Marcus Aurelius or Thoreau, a page a day with lines to write under it.

Something to wear. Tees, hoodies and a sweatshirt with a line on the back and almost nothing on the front.

Every book is printed after you order it and posted free. For Christmas, see our order-by dates.