From heady intellectual tomes to celebrity memoirs to tarot cards, Authors Night, a yearly event to benefit the East Hampton Library,  features books of all forms and depths. Regulars to the tables with books sky high include Robert Caro, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Beth Stern, Don Lemon, Jay McInerny. The fun is seeing the piles dwindle down. 

This week, Norah Lawlor’s Mom’s Book of Wisdom was a hot ticket. A compendium of quotations, “timeless advice from my mother to yours,” sold out in the hundreds with buyers asking for advice on troubles with wayward teens and toddlers alike. Lawlor, a PR expert, may have to rebrand as a self-help guru.

A history of tarot linking the art to movements going back to ancient times now at the Morgan Library raises the profile of a form that can seem woowoo to some. Monty Farber and Amy Zerner reissued their best-seller, The Enchanted Tarot, a gorgeous box featuring the wisdom of the stars and a tarot deck—now in its 35^th Anniversary issue. Amy’s art for each card creates a magical kingdom of color and design. Monty’s words often smack with wisdom.

Bobbi Brown, rebranded as Jones Road, added a touch of the department store beauty counter complete with color application. Lip glosses and shadows in muted tones were sampled by book buyers as Brown herself looked on. As the heat in the tent threatened everyone’s look, this display offered a good way to freshen up. 

Journalist David Margolick’s newest book When Caesar was King, illuminates Sid Caesar’s redefinition of American comedy. Gayle Feldman’s excellent biography of television personality and Random House publisher Bennett Cerf, Nothing Random, hearkens back to the days when writers were kings. His authors, from Gertrude Stein to Ayn Rand were well known in their time under his savvy guidance. Every writer, every publication had a story. The industry has changed dramatically from that heady era. Yet, at least under this Authors Night tent, a great showcase for the written word, the books remain.