There are many surprising human stories behind book dedications,old and new, and they tell us much about the times. Book dedications reflect humor, drama and even mystery Who knew that Dr. Seuss and his wife couldn't have children and so he created imaginary children to dedicate his books to? Many readers pass by the book's dedication page with nary a glance but not England's former reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth. She was so incensed about a book dedication in 1599 that it almost cost the honoree his head. Following the tragic suicide of poet Sylvia Plath, her book was republished by her ex-husband without the book dedication page. This collection includes book dedications, most with commentary, that span the ages,from lovely Elizabethan stanzas to the sometimes tawdry dedications of more recent times. Perhaps the most beautiful book dedication of all time was written by the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley,who shortly thereafter abandoned the recipient - his pregnant wife - for another woman. But there are many book dedications that show timeless love. One contemporary author dedicated all of his books to his wife when she was living and, after she died, he dedicated a book in her honor. The nadir of book dedications surely occurred in 1992 when an American rapper dedicated his memoir to his private body part. (He now regrets it!) Tender, Tawdry & Timeless Book Dedications is a fun excursion through literature's back streets and alleyways.
