Bookmarks: Recently released nonfiction books

Here are some books that have crossed our desks recently.

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HARDBACK

"DANCING WITH MRS. DALLOWAY: Stories of the Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature," by Celia Blue Johnson, Perigee, $16.95, 256 pages (nf)

Behind each well-know work of literature is a story of an author's inspiration. Celia Blue Johnson looks at the story of what sparked ideas for nearly 50 different authors, including Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, E.B. White and Mark Twain. It was lost love that inspired Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." White wrote "Charlotte's Web" behind his boathouse and preferred writing on rainy days. J.R.R. Tolkien read the first few chapters of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," and didn't particularly care for it.

Each author has a few pages, making a quick and interesting read.

"FORGOTTEN BOOKMARKS: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages," by Michael Popek, Berkley Publishing Group, $18.95, 182 pages (nf)

In his family's used bookstore, Michael Popek found things left between the pages of the books. Recipes, sent and unsent letters, valentines, lists, photos, pressed clovers and tickets were found. This books includes reproductions of those items along with transcriptions as needed along with which book it was found in.

A $2 bill was found in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," two tickets to a 1904 masquerade ball in "The Elements of Greek," and "Bend Sinister" by Vladimir Nobokov had a recipe for Mrs. Eisenhower's fudge.

It's an interesting and enjoyable peek into others' lives. See more at www.forgottenbookmarks.com

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More hardbacks recently released:

"THE PENGUING ANTHOLOGY OF 20th CENTURY AMERICAN POETRY," edited by Rita Dove (nf): Pulitzer Prize-winner and former poet laureate Rita Dove has collected poems that have had cultural impact in the 20th century.

"WHY READ MOBY-DICK?" by Nathaniel Philbrick (nf): Discusses the historical and cultural significance of "Moby-Dick."

"THE ART PROPHETS: The Artists, Dealers and Tastemakers Who Shook the Art World," by Richard Polsky (nf): The history of how art is defined and who helped shape those definitions as it is now more than just a painting by the old masters or the impressionists but a Navajo rug or concert poster.