Marked men (and women)

By Jan Gardner  |  June 10, 2007

Rosie O'Donnell, the not-so-dearly-departed host of "The View," was on her best behavior when she promoted her memoir "Celebrity Detox " last Sunday in New York. She was among nearly 1,000 authors vying for the attention of the 30,000 booksellers, agents, publishers, and other attendees at BookExpo America , the industry's annual four-day convention.

Inside the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the line of demarcation between the corporate giants and the small presses boasted slick displays, plush carpets, and mini-bars serving free wine. At the booths along the fringes, the event was a no-frills celebration of self-expression.

Take, for example, authors Phil Padwe and Dave Kimelberg, who shared a table in a back corner of the basement. Kimelberg, a tattooed corporate attorney in Boston, was interested in finding other tattooed professionals, so he wrote, photographed, and published a book called "Inked Inc."

Padwe was inspired after three tattooed friends became parents the same week and he could not find a children's book about tattoos. He wrote, illustrated, and published "Mommy Has a Tattoo." Now it's being distributed across the country and sold on walmart .com. A sequel -- "Daddy Has a Tattoo" -- is in the works.

Also at BookExpo America, publishers were touting the books from their fall line up for which they have high hopes. Three intriguing titles are "The Dog Says How," a collection of funny and often tender tales by Kevin Kling , a commentator on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" (Borealis); "Bowl of Cherries," a debut comic novel by Millard Kaufman, the 90-year-old co-creator of "Mr. Magoo" (McSweeney's) ; and "Dough: A Memoir," by Mort Zachter, about two eccentric uncles who live like paupers and stay silent about the millions of dollars they have amassed (University of Georgia).

Foodies now have a book-filled haven in Portland, Maine. Samantha Hoyt Lindgren and her husband, Don Lindgren -- she is an editor turned pastry chef and he a former rare-book dealer -- have opened Rabelais at 86 Middle St. The shop, in a neighborhood known for its restaurants, sells new, used, and rare books for the wine connoisseur, serious cook, and armchair epicure. Where else are you going to find an early edition of M.F.K. Fisher's "How to Cook a Wolf"?

"From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America," by Christopher M. Finan (Beacon)

"Right Livelihood: Three Novellas," by Rick Moody (Little, Brown)

"North River," by Pete Hamill (Little, Brown)

David Quammen, science writer and the author of "The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" and "Monster of God," recommends "Nazi Games: The Olympics of 1936," by David Clay Large (Norton), as "a guilty pleasure with scholarly gravitas. It is a deeply researched and deftly written history that combines sportswriting, expert knowledge of the Third Reich, some damning revelations about the International Olympic Committee, and a wonderful, wry, writerly voice."

Jan Gardner can be reached at JanLGardner@yahoo.com.