Adafruit Holiday Gift Guide 2018: Books!
Contrary to popular belief, books make the BEST gifts. Getting a book as a gift is kind of like getting a scarf – at first you think, “Oh great, another book, this person really phoned it in this year.” But, if it’s the right book (or the right scarf), that gift will prove way more useful than any other random trendy gift you get that year. And if it’s exactly the right book (or scarf), it can become a part of your identity in a way that no fancy ceramic knife ever could. Don’t take my book-loving, scarf-obsessive word for it, check out our great list of books below and see for yourself!
Books To Inspire Young Engineers
Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code by Laurie Wallmark – Illustrated by Katy Wu: Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code is an inspiring, upbeat picture-book biography of one of STEM’s unsung heroes. Did you know Grace originated the term “computer bug”? This beautifully illustrated book follows Grace’s clock-tinkering in childhood to Vassar collegiate life to her long career in the US Navy (she retired as an admiral! At almost 80 years old!). Read more.
Girl CEO by Ronnie Cohen & Katherine Ellison: Girl CEO is an illustrated collection to inspire and motivate rebel girls, young entrepreneurs, and other trailblazing tweens and teens with success stories and practical advice from leading women entrepreneurs (including *drumroll* Limor “Ladyada” Fried!). Read more.
Ada Twist, Scientist: The creators of the New York Times bestselling picture books Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect are back with a story about the power of curiosity in the hands of a child who is on a mission to use science to understand her world. Ada Twist, Scientist, from powerhouse team Andrea Beaty and David Roberts, is a celebration of STEM, perseverance, and passion. Read more.
Books That Take You From A to Z
Pocket Ref – 4th Edition – by Thomas J. Glover: Have you ever wanted comprehensive information on a diverse amount of subjects in a pocket sized, well-organized format…and not had a cell phone signal or internet connection?
Look no further! This pocket reference book is actually incredibly cool – even if you have a smart phone, wear a pair of Google glass, have read all of Wikipedia, etc. It’s 864 pages of comprehensive tables, maps, formulas, constants, conversions, everything! There are knot tying diagrams, pictures of airplane signals, the dictionary of American sign language, spice scales for hot peppers – the list goes on and on and on. Read more.
Coloring book – Ladyada’s E is for electronics: Ladyada’s “E is for Electronics” is a coloring book adventure with electronic components and their inventors.
Makers of all ages can learn, color, and share common parts and historical figures throughout history. Explore the world of electronics with Ladyada as your guide! Read more.
Books To Help You Put Your Skills To Use
Easy Electronics by Charles Platt: Can we find a more concise, more colorfully illustrated handbook than Make: Easy Electronics by Charles Platt? Doubtful. We carry a number of his more advanced guidebooks, but this 50-page volume really simplifies the building blocks of maker fundamentals. The illustrations are amazing, and make it a really fun read. Read more.
Programming with MicroPython – by Nicholas H. Tollervey: If you’ve already dipped your toes in the Python pool as a programmer, educator, or maker, you’re ready to learn more—and have fun along the way! This practical guide delivers the knowledge you need to roll up your sleeves and create exceptional embedded projects with this lean and efficient programming language. You’ll be able to build faster, better, more intuitive projects with the power of Python behind you. No more managing buffers, memory-corruption, or icky parsing code. Read more.
The Hardware Hacker: Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware – by Bunnie Huang: For over a decade, Andrew “bunnie” Huang, one of the world’s most esteemed hackers, has shaped the fields of hacking and hardware, from his cult-classic book Hacking the Xbox to the open-source laptop Novena and his mentorship of various hardware startups and developers. In The Hardware Hacker, Huang shares his experiences in manufacturing and open hardware, creating an illuminating and compelling career retrospective. Read more.
We’re excited for the Holiday Season here at Adafruit and we can’t wait to share that excitement with you! Tune into the Adafruit Blog for 12 hand picked Adafruit Holiday Gift Guides featuring Adafruit products, projects and more starting Monday November 12.
Still not sure if you’re on the right gift giving track? Gift Certificates are the perfect cyber-present for the electronics geek in your life and are available at any time. When in doubt contact us!
Also be sure to check out the awesome freebies you get when you shop!
Adafruit Holiday Shipping Deadlines 2018
Here are your 2018 shipping deadlines for ordering from Adafruit. Please review our shipping section if you have specific questions on how and where we ship worldwide for this holiday season.
The Adafruit Shipping Department works hard to get your orders out as quickly as we can, but once they’re in the hands of our carriers they’re out of our control. Carriers have been struggling to keep up with the sharp rise in online orders. UPS, FedEX, and USPS all experienced delivery delays over the last few years.
So all the Adafruit Shippers say: Please be sure you get your gifts early! Order as soon as you can! Once you place your order we’ll ship like the wind!
Please note: We do not offer Saturday or Sunday service for DHL, UPS or USPS.
Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018, Christmas, no DHL, UPS or USPS pickup or delivery service.
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019, no DHL, UPS or USPS pickup or delivery service.
Domestic Orders
UPS Ground: Place orders by Friday 11 am ET – December 7, 2018 – Should arrive by Friday December 21 *There is no guarantee that UPS Ground packages will arrive by December 21, 2018.
UPS 3 Day: Place orders by Thursday 11 am ET – December 13, 2018 – Arrive by 12/21/2018.
UPS 2 Day: Place orders by Friday 11 am ET – December 14, 2018 – Arrive by 12/21/2018
UPS Next Day: Place orders by Monday 11 am ET – December 17, 2018 – Arrive by 12/21/2018.
USPS First Class and USPS Priority: Place orders by Friday– December 8, 2018 – Arrive by 12/21/2018 or sooner.
International Orders
USPS First Class Mail International: Place orders by Friday – November 16, 2018. Can take up to 30 days or more with worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/21/2018 or sooner, but not a trackable service and cannot be guaranteed to arrive by 12/21/2018.
USPS Express Mail International: Place orders by Friday – November 30, 2018. Can take up to 15 days or more with worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/21/2018 or sooner.
UPS WORLDWIDE EXPRESS, UPS WORLDWIDE EXPEDITED and UPS EXPRESS SAVER (UPS International orders): Place orders by Friday 11 am ET – December 7, 2018 – There is no guarantee that international packages will arrive by December 21, 2018.
DHL EXPRESS WORLDWIDE: Place orders by Friday 11 am ET – December 7, 2018 – There is no guarantee that international packages will arrive by December 21, 2018.