Gallery: The Map Lab Holiday Gift Guide
01Map Glasses
If you have someone on your gift list this year who loves maps -- and I think it's a pretty good bet you do, because, really, who doesn't love maps? -- I have some great ideas for you. Sure, you can always buy a map for the cartophile in your life, but there is also plenty of cool mappy stuff that any map geek will love. We'll start with one of my favorite recent purchases. It's a beer glass with a map on it. What could be more awesome? If you haven't already left this page to go order one, then you obviously don't like beer or maps as much as I do. I think I had two of the San Francisco glasses in the mail to my house within 5 minutes of learning they existed. Don't tell any of my friends or family, but they may soon be holding one of these too. They also come in rocks glasses, wine glasses and wine carafes. And they come in quite a few cities including the obvious ones: New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. But there are also some other big cities including Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, Seattle and St. Louis. There are some surprising options in there too, like Burlington, Vermont (maybe the creators went to UVM?). International choices include Paris, London and Hong Kong. Get it here: [The Uncommon Green](http://www.theuncommongreen.com/collections/street-maps-glassware?page=1)
Brian Smeets02Woodcut Maps
Woodcut Maps ------------ This has to be one of the coolest gift ideas I've ever come across. This may be due in part to my own desire to make physical maps with my hands, but I think this could be a great gift for just about anyone. I have lots of reasons. First -- these are really beautiful maps made out of real wood. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/12/wcm-packaging.jpg) Second, our readers get a special discount! [Woodcut Maps](http://woodcutmaps.com/) is offering us 15 percent off -- just use the code "maplab" when you check out. This will help defray the cost of rush ordering, which you will need at this point to get your gift in time for Christmas (order before 12/15). Third, this gift can be personalized, by you -- and you can spend anywhere from a few minutes to several hours on this process (in order to spend several hours you would have to be a little obsessive and insist on evaluating every combination and continually tweaking every option). You choose the area covered by the map. Your map can be of anywhere -- it's based on Google Maps (with an experimental OpenStreetMap option available too). Everyone has a place that means something to them -- where they live, where they are from, where they went to school, where they hope to retire, where they got married. You can choose the size and the types of wood that are used to represent land, water, roads and parks. You choose the level of detail -- how dense the roads are, how thick the border is, whether to include buildings. You can even add markers, like a house icon to show where you live. Fourth, you can spend anywhere from $30 for an iPhone case to over $1,000 for an 18 inch by 30 inch map with all sorts of fancy wood options added. You can get coasters for $72 or an 8 inch square map for $75. I think a nice option is a 16 inch by 20 inch map for $340. Fifth, if you are thinking of buying this gift for a map nerd, you can also get a gift certificate and let them have the fun of making the map. Lastly, the folks at Woodcut maps do not skimp on the details. The wood is all genuine and natural (no dyes) -- they laser-cut wood veneers that are then inlaid by hand in their San Francisco workshop. The maps are guaranteed for two years. If you are concerned about sustainability, they have [rated each of the wood options](http://woodcutmaps.com/sustainability). The maps come wrapped and carefully packaged, with your note handwritten on a piece of wood. Get it here: [Woodcut Maps](http://woodcutmaps.com/)
03Map Coasters
Map Coasters ------------ [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/12/mapcoasters_400.jpg) It's not too hard to find coasters with maps on them, but these are the only ones you'll find that are made by a PhD cartographer who scours bookstores and garage sales for vintage atlases to find beautiful maps of just about anywhere you could want. Full disclosure: I met [Candice](https://www.etsy.com/shop/allmappedout/about?ref=l2-more-about) at a cartography conference in October, and she's a pretty cool lady who is also a big fan of Map Lab. But, I can attest to the quality of her work as I have a set at my house waiting to be shipped off as a gift, and they are really nice. And I suppose these are the perfect thing to put your map glasses on. Get it here: [All Mapped Out](https://www.etsy.com/shop/allmappedout/about?ref=l2-more-about)
04iPad Cases
Stamen Maps DODOcases --------------------- Stamen Design makes some beautiful maps, and a few months ago they partnered up with DODOcase to put some of those maps into iPad, iPhone and Nexus 7 cases. They come in two styles, a black and white line toner map, or a water color version. Right now you can get New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles (if they get enough demand for other cities, they've left the door open for more options in the future). Get it here: [DODOcase](http://www.dodocase.com/pages/customizer)
05Desk Globe
Mini Desk Globe --------------- [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/12/mini-globes.jpg) I tried to stay away from recommending any straight maps in this guide in favor of cool mappy stuff, but I had to include these amazing hand-made globes. WIRED Design has a post [all about how these globes are meticulously hand crafted](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/design/2013/10/how-one-man-makes-some-of-the-coolest-globes-in-the-world/) by Bellerby & Co. I also tried not to recommend anything really expensive, but again made an exception. The most modestly priced mini desk globes start at £999 ($1,630). You can spend a lot more on much bigger globes, and you can customize them as well, but if you're trying to really impress a map lover, the mini globe will do it. Get it here: [Bellerby & Co.](http://www.bellerbyandco.com/index.php/collection/the-desk-globes.html)
06Jerry's Map
Jerry's Map ----------- Chances are, the map geek in your life has seen t[he amazing, enormous map of the fantasy land of Ukrania that Jerry Gretzinger has spent 30 years making](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/09/jerry-gretzinger-map-ukrania/). The map is constantly evolving as Jerry edits and covers over each panel of the map over and over again. When he makes a change, he first makes a copy of each panel and makes his edits on the copy. The old panel is removed from the map, and some of those old panels are a[vailable for purchase on ebay](http://stores.ebay.com/sgattic/). Thanks to you, your cartophile can own a unique piece of Jerry's famous map. Get it here: [Jerry's Map](http://stores.ebay.com/sgattic/)
07Urban Gridded Notebook
Urban Gridded Notebook ---------------------- This is one of the neatest notebooks I've ever seen. Every two-page spread is a grid map of a different city -- there are 127 cities in there! This book has Beirut, Birmingham, Barcelona, Baghdad, Baltimore, Brooklyn, Brussels, budapest, Buenos Aires and Boston. And that's not even all the B cities. This is something I've been hoping would be restocked at Amazon for a long time now. I've not lost hope that it will show up again, but in the meantime, it looks like you can still get it at the [Walking Chair Design Studio's online shop](https://shop.walking-things.com/int/urban-gridded-notebook.html) for €15.00 ($20). Get it here: [Walking Chair Design Studio](https://shop.walking-things.com/int/urban-gridded-notebook.html)
08London Map Umbrella
London Map Umbrella ------------------- [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/12/london-map-umbrella-detail.jpg)There are a lot of map umbrellas out there, but almost none of them are useful as more than a rain cover. Most of the enjoyment of the map goes to people who are not under the umbrella. But this map from [London Undercover](http://www.londonundercover.co.uk/) puts the map on the inside of the umbrella. This means that the holder of the umbrella gets to enjoy, and possibly even use the map. And it's a nice map in and of itself, a vintage look at London. It's a little pricey -- £135.00 ($220) -- but it's sold by a company that basically just deals in umbrellas and other stuff that's good for a cold rainy place (like scarves and gloves), so I'm betting it's a nice one that works fairly well. Get it here: [London Undercover](http://www.londonundercover.co.uk/product/london_map_umbrella/)
Cliff M. Cordes09Moon Map Wrapping Paper
Moon Map Wrapping Paper ----------------------- The final touch: Wrap your awesome map gifts in a map of the moon. Get it here: [NormansPrintery](https://www.etsy.com/listing/159180929/moon-map-wrapping-paper)
