A license of a typeface in his/her wish list is too obvious?

Myfonts offers gift certificates, if you don't have his/her wish list.

Round-trip airfare to next ATypI location.

Typophiles like type specimens more than they like fonts.
Choose something from Oak Knoll.

>what would be the best Christmas present for a true Typophile?

A custom designed Matthew Carter typeface named for their eldest daughter.

:-)

"Typophiles like type specimens more than they like fonts."
Erm… no. Not all of them anyway.

(I'd totally second the license/gift-certificate idea!)

Typophiles like type specimens more than they like fonts.

I base that observation on the trade at Type events, and the experience that typographers will buy a font for use in a specific job, but not so much on impulse.

So perhaps a licence/certificate is a good idea, because the recipient can redeem it when the occasion arises.
But I wouldn't suggest just giving someone a font as a present, unless it comes with a nice specimen, or is in a House Industries package.

Gift certificates are a bit of a cop-out, third on the scale behind a cleverly-chosen purchase and something you made yourself specially for the recipient.

Here is a link to some "cool" type stuff.

http://www.veer.com/products/merch/

typographers will buy a font for use in a specific job, but not so much on impulse.

Now designers on the other hand... ;^)

Yeah, I guess not all Typophiles actually use/need fonts...
Dunno, I don't necessarily see gift certificates* as a «cop-out»; not if it's for someone who appreciates presents that are useful, and has needs/wishes that are more specific than you could know... And you can always make a really creative packaging for it :-)
(* I've said this last year too, but I still think more foundries/resellers should offer them.)

But I wouldn't suggest just giving someone a font as a present, unless it comes with a nice specimen, or is in a House Industries package.

I would agree. I received Eames as a gift...other than my college education, it's one of the coolest things I've ever received from somebody.

Any book from Doyald Young:
http://doyaldyoung.com/books.html

A donation to a worthy cause that is relevant to their person. For example, Camp Brigadoon. Anything but landfill.

Some (maybe all) volume from the A5 series published by Lars Muller.

http://typophile.com/node/16618
http://typophile.com/node/29951

a Lars Muller book (any of them)

an original specimen from John Baskerville or William Caslon (ok this one requires time and money)

a vintage, first or 2nd edition of any book by Eric Gill

a full set of Excoffon's Mistral or Banco metal type

One of these limited edition Just My Type screenprints from Erik Spiekermann, Jonathan Barnbrook, Cyrus Highsmith, Stephen Coles, Margaret Calvert, and Eiichi Kono...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/justmytypeprints?ref=pr_shop_more

Nick's first comment is right on the money... The Typographic Desk Reference is way up on my list.

its too hard to watch this conversation and not want all of it...

an E type Jag?

Definitively, a very rare type-catalog. In my case I prefer from Santa Claus this

http://www.veatchs.com/shop/veatch/13933.html

If "+" means "and" + "x" means "Not", then, in my opinion,
a Dynamic font with Motion in Type x Type in Motion,
would be the best Christmas present for a true + false Typophiles?!

Paper

Or, although this is not only a nice for typophile computer users: Das keyboard.

Good bookshelves.