We are invited to an 80th birthday party and I’d like to take a (small) present. If it was his wife, it would be easy - a plant! But it’s him. We don’t know him that well - plays in a band, is a photographer, has been very fit until recently. Alcohol is no good - he brings his own drink to other people’s parties.
I haven’t a clue.
How about a photography book of some kind? Do you know what genre of photography he is into?
e.g. a book about Henri Cartier-Bresson if he likes street photography, or Richard Avedon or Peter Lindbergh if he’s into fashion / portraits, or Charlie Waite or David Noton if he shoots landscapes?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peter-Lindbergh-Fashion-Photography-Anniversary/
Brings his own drink, ie his wine?
If you are feeling like a major task download a song from each year of his life onto a USB stick?
This is a good call - books are a great present when no-one knows what to get.
I like these books for information about places to go, and also the excellent photography.
If he’s a landscaper then books by Ansel Adams will usually go down well.
How about an Opinel penknife? Everyone needs a decent penknife, even if they don’t realise it.
For a frenchman to get to 80 without an opinel would be weird!
Nothing wrong with having another one or two
Or a Laguiole tire-bouchon? Depends how much you want to spend of course.
If he likes a drink a decent bottle of port
They start about €30, but the sky’s the limit (mammoth ivory handle anyone?)
OTOH maybe an €80 one…
Yes I have one with a wood handle which I think was about €30 a few years ago, but the good ones are probably €100+.
The price varies according to the wood, but also who made it at Laguiole. I’ve got a €30one but had to reshape the base of the lever mechanism so that it was a better fit on the neck of a bottle. Laguiole’s amazing craftsmanship and I wish we had €500+ spare for a set of designer steak knives, but we don’t and my current picnic knife is an €8 Spanish lock knife that takes a good edge and can cleanly cut both a thick crust pain au levain and a plump, thin-skinned and very ripe tomato,
My wife bought me a good Laguiole for my 30th birthday the first time we went to Saint Emilion. It’s been used regularly ever since and is still as good as they day it was bought. Magnificent quality. Also, amazingly the leather pouch is still in great condition as well as the Laguiole emblem on the front. It just lives in our cutlery drawer as it always has.
Paracetamol, for the man who has everything! 