Book Markers 08.18.11

“The Barque of Saviors”

    In case you missed it, there have been historically minded Sundays in the Barn talks happening weekly one jaunty ferry ride away on Shelter Island. Next up in the series, which is courtesy of that island’s historical society, is Russell Drumm with his 2001 book, “The Barque of Saviors: Eagle’s Passage From the Nazi Navy to the U.S. Coast Guard.”

    He’ll illustrate his discussion of the fate of the 1936 vessel with archival photos and sign copies of the book, too. The start time is 4 p.m. on, as billed, Sunday. The place is the James Havens Homestead at 16 South Ferry Road. (Which, since we’re in that frame of mind, dates to 1743.)

    But the Montauker, fisherman, surfer, sailor, and senior writer for The Star isn’t done: He’ll head up a discussion with Carmela Ciuraru about her new book, “Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms,” on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Montauk Bookshop, and he’ll be back there on Friday, Aug. 26, to read from a novel in progress, “Goofyfoot: A Rogue’s Yarn,” at 6 p.m.

Gabler on Biography

    He’s written some of the most culturally significant books in recent memory, from “An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood” to “Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination” to “Winchell,” a biography of that titan among newspaper columnists, Walter Winchell, which was subtitled “Gossip, Power, and the Culture of Celebrity.” Now Neal Gabler, who lives in Amagansett, is working on a book about another colossus, albeit a political one, Senator Edward Kennedy.

    Mr. Gabler will discuss the art of biography on Saturday at 6 p.m. for the last of the summer’s free Authors After Hours events at the Amagansett Library.