Every year when Christmas rolls around it’s a chore trying to find gifts that are not only useful but different. There are only so many ways you can wrap up socks, ties, perfume and shaving cologne.

You’ve probably given relatives and friends books for Christmas and suggesting them as gifts isn’t an original idea. But what about history books – local history books? Almost everyone like to read about the early days of the Annapolis Valley and I have some suggestions. The Kings County Historical Society has an excellent selection of history books by local authors; these books are available at the courthouse museum, Cornwallis Street, Kentville, and a partial list follows.

Two excellent books on the Wellington Dyke which are sure to be welcomed by the history buff: The Wellington Dyke, a history of the Canard River dyke system by Brent Fox. Soft cover, $8.00.

The Wellington Dyke by Marjory Whitelaw. A Nimbus publication, the most recent book on the dyke, covers the Acadians, Planters and the building of the Wellington system. 54 pages, $6.95.

Canard Street. Compiled by the late Elizabeth Rand, this is a record of the more than 50 century homes and building on Canard Street (from Porter’s Point to Upper Dyke) Kings County. Soft cover, $20.00.

For the amateur genealogist, the Historical Society offers the Township Books of Aylesford. Cornwallis and Horton in one volume (soft cover, $25.00) and The Old Wolfville Cemetery. Soft cover, $2.50.

Camp Aldershot by Brent Fox. A history of the Camp since 1904 in soft cover, $4.00.

The Homes of Woodville by Hazel Foote. Traces the history of many older homes around Woodville, Arnold Road, Brooklyn Street, Bligh Road, Parrish Road and Burgess Mountain Road. Includes many photographs. $20.00.

Sketch of Chipman Corner by James Fry. A look at Chipman Corner from 1670 to 1985. Soft cover, $2.50.

Old Railway Stations of the Maritimes by Peter M. Latta. Six Annapolis Valley Stations are profiled, including photographs. $6.95.

A History of the Baptist Church. Soft cover history of the Kentville United Baptist Church from 1874 to 1974.

Family Ties by Gordon M. Haliburton. While this book deals with the ancestral and familial connections of Thomas Chandler Haliburton, it can also be read as a history book. Soft cover, $20.00.

The Nova Scotia Eatons. While also a book dealing with a single family – one of the most prominent in this region, by the way – it is also a history text of sorts and tells us much about our early days. Soft cover, $5.00.

Kings County Vignettes. Compiled by Helen Hansford, Cathy Margeson and Elizabeth Rand, nine volumes of this excellent series have been published to date. Averaging 50 pages, each soft cover volume contains short historical sketches on Kings County by various local authors. A bargain at $5.00 each, the total series would make an excellent gift for history buffs.