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We all have our favorites—but what about our favorites’ favorites? We asked nine authors to tell us the essential books in their chosen areas of expertise. Happy reading.

 
Gilbert played Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie. Her memoir is called Prairie Tales.  
SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR?
I'm With the Band
by Pamela Des Barres
FOR CINEPHILES
My Autobiography
by Charles Chaplin
FOR HOPELESS ROMANTICS
Pieces of My Heart: A Life
By Robert J. Wagner
MY PERSONAL ROLE MODEL
Call Me Anna
By Patty Duke

 
Pinsky has offered advice on many TV and radio shows. His new book is The Mirror Effect.  
IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD THERAPY
The Search for the Real Self
By James F. Masterson, M.D.
HOW TO FIND MR. (OR MRS.) RIGHT
Dreams of Love and Fateful Encounters
By Ethel S. Person, M.D.
THE GRANDDADDY OF ADDICTION TOMES
Codependent No More
By Melody Beattie
A BOOK TO SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE
The Intimacy Factor
By Pia Mellody and Lawrence S. Freundlich

 
The Scarpetta Factor, to be released in October, will be Cornwell's latest starring sleuth Kay Scarpetta.  
IF YOU COULD READ ONLY ONE
In Cold Blood
By Truman Capote
SO GOOD IT READS LIKE FICTION
Manhunt
By James L. Swanson
A NOVEL THAT'S AS GRITTY AS ANY TRUE-CRIME BOOK
American Rust
By Philipp Meyer
SO YOU CAN ROOT FOR THE BAD GUY
The Silence of the Lambs
By Thomas Harris

 
Woodward and Carl Bernstein broke Watergate--the mother of all modern scandals.
HOW TO CORRUPT A POLITICIAN
All the King's Men
By Robert Penn Warren
DUMMIES' GUIDE TO EVADING HISTORY
RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon
By Richard Nixon
IF YOU CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH
In Retrospect
By Robert S. McNamara
OF AND FOR SPOOKS
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
By John Le Carré

 
Meacham's latest book, American Lion, is a biography of Andrew Jackson.
ABOUT A HERO'S VIRTUES AND VICES
The Last Lion: Visions of Glory
By William Manchester
A KENNEDY BOOK WITH PERSPECTIVE
Robert Kennedy and His Times
By Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
A VICTORIAN VOICE FOR OUR TIME
Matthew Arnold
By Lionel Trilling
ON THE POLITICS OF PERSONALITY
Huey Long
By T. Harry Williams

 
Once a first daughter, Bush is now a sixth-grade teacher and author of the book Ana's Story.
THE ANSWER TO 'THAT'S NOT FAIR'
The House on Mango Street
By Sandra Cisneros
HOPE FOR LITTLE DREAMERS
Seedfolks
By Paul Fleischman
GROWN-UP POETRY FOR KIDS
Love That Dog
By Sharon Creech
A BOOK FOR ADULTS, TOO
Brown Angels
By Walter Dean Myers

 
Tyson is an astrophysicist and head of New York's Hayden Planetarium. His latest book is called The Pluto Files.
THE BEST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE
The Principia
By Isaac Newton
FOR SCIENCE FUN
One, Two, Three … Infinity: Facts and Speculations of Science
By George Gamow
FOR PEOPLE WHO PAID ATTENTION IN MATH
Mathematics and the Imagination
By Edward Kasner and James Newman
A BOOK ON ALIENS THAT WILL MAKE YOU SEEM SMART. REALLY.
The Celestial Worlds Discover'd
By Christian Huygens

 
Zakaria is the editor of NEWSWEEK International and host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS.
WHY GOVERNMENTS NEED ETHICS
Moral Man & Immoral Society
By Reinhold Niebuhr
A PRIMER ON POWER AND POLITICS
Diplomacy
By Henry Kissinger
A PROVOCATIVE POST-COLD WAR IDEA
The End of History and the Last Man
By Francis Fukuyama
WHY, IN THE END, MONEY MAKES RIGHT
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
By Paul Kennedy

 
Laksmhi is an Indian chef and author and the cohost of the TV show Top Chef.
YUM! (UNLESS YOU HATE CURRY)
Modern Spice
By Monica Bhide
IF YOU CAN'T COOK
The Tummy Trilogy
By Calvin Trillin
FOR PEOPLE WHO EAT DESSERT FIRST
Classic Home Desserts
By Richard Sax
THE FOODIE BIBLE
The Cambridge World History of Food
Edited By K.F. Kiple and K.C. Ornelas

 
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