THE BEATLES STEREO VINYL BOX SET ($319)
Sometimes vinyl music collectors are unbearably pretentious. Other times, they kind of have a point. Such is the case here. Capitol records is releasing a stunning box set collecting the Beatles’ 14 albums on O.G. vinyl (with state-of-the-art sound mastering): Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles for Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles (aka The White Album), Yellow Submarine, Let it Be, Abbey Road, and Past Masters. The set also includes a book with detailed information on each release, authored by producer and Beatlefile Kevin Howlett. It’s absolutely worth dusting off that needle.
THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY ($30)
Director Christopher Nolan’s epic take on the Batman mythos is a cinematic rarity — comic-book movies with brains. They remove all the campiness from the concept of a costumed vigilante and deliver something mature and gripping. Plus, unlike many movie trilogies, this one is great from beginning to end. The Dark Knight saga doesn’t come together in this three-disc collection till early December, but you can pre-order it now. Aw, you look disappointed. Why so serious?
ASSASSIN’S CREED 3 ($60)
Part of the thrill of the Assassin’s Creed franchise has been in its vivid recreation of historical periods — who knew it was so much fun to slit throats during the Third Crusade or in Renaissance Italy? So it was kind of a big deal when Ubisoft announced it was going to bring the action to the New World, and create a game that took place during the Revolutionary War. This time, you play as a half Native-American Assassin named Connor — yeah, we know — who makes Colonial Williamsburg his bitch. Connor rubs shoulders with guys like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, and there’s even a mission (exclusive to PS3) where you hunt down notorious traitor Benedict Arnold. Welcome to your new history class.
GAME OF THRONES THRONE ($30,000)
If you want to really drop some jaws this holiday season — and you have 30 large burning a whole in your pocket — get that fantasy fan on your list a life-sized replica of the iconic Game of Thrones sword throne. It’s actually constructed of fiberglass (and not, sadly, of the swords of vanquished enemies) and is custom made (throw in a couple of extra bucks and they may make it commode-ready). It is the ultimate man-cave addition for that chainmail-wearing fanboy who knows his Targaryens from his Lannisters.
