What Book Makes the Perfect Going-Away Gift?

Dear Literary Lady,
My best friend is leaving town. Should I give him a book as going-away present, and if so, how do I choose one?
–C.G., New York, NY
Dear C.G.,
Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
I used to think that quote was overblown, that Hemingway’s words were spoken in a moment of cynicism when he had lost faith in the constancy of people (or was just bickering with F. Scott Fitzgerald). As much as I loved books, I’d never think them superior to the affections of living, breathing friends. I used to bristle at the quote, thinking “but I am loyal, I can be a great friend.”
It wasn’t until one of my oldest and dearest friends prepared to leave town that I truly understood Hemingway’s words. It’s not about people being fickle or unfaithful. It’s about people’s inability to do all the things they want to for their loved ones.
There is no friend as loyal as a book. I can’t go thousands of miles around the world with my friend, but a book can. I can’t be there when he has a bad day, or is overcome with boredom, or has a broken heart, but a book can. I don’t always know what to say and I don’t always know how to help him, but a book might. I’m not always inspiring or wise or open-minded or funny or empathetic when he needs me to be, but a book can be.
So when your friend leaves town, my advice is to give him a book that does all the things you wish you could do as a friend. Think hard on your friendship, and what you mean to each other. Then try to give him the following:
1. A book that will never fail to make him laugh, like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
2. A book that will uplift or nspire him, like The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
3. A book that will make him think big philosophical thoughts about the world, like Einstein’s Dreams, by Alan Lightman
4. A children’s book with wisdom for adults, like The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
5. A book that motivates him to seek adventure in his travels, like On the Road, by Jack Kerouac
6. A book that reminds him of the origins of your friendship, like Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson
Whatever book you give him, trust that your friend understands just what you’re trying to say.
Love and paperbacks,
Literary Lady