AMBER BOOKS

Literary Dons: The Top 100 Most Admired African American Men in Literature (Oct., $16.95) by Heather Covington compiles biographies on those men who made their mark in the publishing industry.

AMBER/COLOSSUS BOOKS

The Life & Times of Dr. Dre: Out of Compton... into the Streets—The Studio Years (1985—2006) (Oct., $16.95) by Jake Brown details the years spent by the gangsta rap pioneer as a producer and recording artist. A Colossus book.

ATLASBOOKS

Murder HeWrote: A Successful Writer’s Life (Sept., $19.95) by Donald Bain. The author recalls his career as the author or ghostwriter of more than 90 books.

BIRLINN (dist. by Interlink)

To the Hebrides: Samuel Johnson’s Journey to the Western Islands and James Boswell’s Journal of a Tour (Sept., $17.95), edited by Ronald Black, joins these two separate accounts of the writers’ shared journey through Scotland.

BROADWAY BOOKS

Four Quarters of Light: An Alaskan Journey (Sept., $14) by Brian Keenan. Inspired by boyhood memories of The Call of the Wild, a man travels with his wife and young son to Alaska from his native Ireland.

CITADEL

Au Paris: True Tales of an American Nanny in Paris (Dec., $12.95) by Rachel Spencer recounts the author’s chance to realize a dream.

COWLEY BOOKS (dist. by NBN)

Bloomfield Avenue: A Jewish-Catholic Jersey Girl’s Spiritual Journey (Oct., $25) by Linda Mercadante recounts the author’s quest for religious identity and a one-faith family.

CUMBERLAND HOUSE

Short and Sweet: The Life of the Lollipop Munchkin (Oct., $18.95) by Jerry Maren. The famous little person chronicles his 60+ years in show business. Author tour.

DALKEY ARCHIVE

Time at War (Oct., $12.95) by Nicholas Mosley describes his experiences as a 20-year-old WWII platoon leader.

FEMINIST PRESS AT CUNY

Baghdad Burning II: More Girl Blog from Iraq (Oct., $14.95) by Riverbend compiles her blog posts on the Iraqi war since October 2004.

FULCRUM

The Gonzo Way: A Celebration of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Oct., $9.95) by Anita Thompson. The author’s widow bears witness to his legacy.

GALLAUDET UNIV. PRESS

Blind Rage: Letters to Helen Keller (Sept., $19.95) by Georgina Kleege. The author, who is blind, re-examines Keller’s life from a contemporary perspective.

GRAPHIC ARTS CENTER

Kids from Nowhere (Oct., $16.95) by George Guthridge tells the story of Alaskan Eskimo students who achieved a stunning educational feat.

HAUS (dist. by IPM)

20 Prime Ministers of the 20th Century: 20-Volume Boxed Set (Nov., $299). Journalists, academics and politicians assess the legacies of such leaders as Chamberlain, Churchill and Thatcher; also available in individual volumes, $15.95 each.

HOLMES & MEIER

Little Mother of Russia: A Biography of Empress Marie Feodorovna (Sept., $27.50) by Coryne Hall traces the life of Russia’s last dowager empress.

HOMA & SEKEY

Journey Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman’s Search for Home (Nov., $14.95) by Veronica Li. The daughter-in-law of China’s former deputy prime minister examines the Chinese diaspora.

INTERLINK

The Wind in My Hair (Oct., $15) by Salwa Salem with Laura Maritano, trans. by Yvonne Freccero, centers on a Palestinian refugee who was only eight when she was uprooted.

MARLOWE & CO.

The Only Boy in the World: A Father Explores the Mysteries of Autism (Sept., $14.95) by Michael Blastland offers a father’s intimate portrait of his autistic child.

MOUNTAINEERS BOOKS

Steller’s Island: Adventures of a Pioneer Naturalist in Alaska (Oct., $17.95) by Dean Littlepage recounts European naturalist Georg Steller’s 1741 journey to America.

NATION BOOKS

Kill the Messenger: How the CIA’s Crack-Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb (Oct., $14.95) by Nick Schou portrays a reporter who paid the ultimate price for his notoriety.

OMNIBUS PRESS

Tougher than the Rest: 100 Best Bruce Springsteen Songs (Oct., $17.95) by June Skinner Sawyers discusses the best of Springsteen’s body of work.

OTHER PRESS

Our Roots Are Deep with Passion: Creative Nonfiction Collects New Essays by Italian-American Writers (Oct., $15.95), edited by Lee Gutkind and Joanna Clapps Herman, considers the meaning of Italian-American identity.

PARAGON HOUSE

Inman’s War: A Soldier’s Story of Life in a Colored Battalion in World War II (Sept., $17.95) by Jeffrey S. Copeland evokes his experiences as a black soldier in a colored battalion.

PERENNIAL

Working Stiff (Jan., $13.95) by Grant Stoddard. The popular gonzo sex columnist from Nerve.com writes his memoirs. 35,000 first printing.

POCKET BOOKS/MTV BOOKS

From Pieces to Weight (Sept., $13) by 50 Cent describes the rap artist’s journey from hustler to hip-hop royalty.

REVELL

Why I Jumped: My True Story of Postpartum Depression, Dramatic Rescue & Return to Hope (Oct., $19.99) by Tina Zahn with Wanda Dyson charts the author’s depression and recovery.

SEAL PRESS

Intimate Politics: How I Grew Up Red, Fought for Free Speech, and Became a Feminist Rebel (Oct., $15.95) by Bettina F. Aptheker portrays one woman’s political transformation.

SQUARE ONE

Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life (Nov., $24.95) by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte is a coming-of-age and coming-out story by the gay writer who obtained the permit for the legendary 1969 music festival. 50,000 first printing. $30,000 ad/promo.

STRUIK PUBLISHERS (dist. by IPM)

Against the Grain (Sept., $29.95) by Geoffrey Nyarota recalls his work as the editor of the only independent newspaper in Zimbabwe.

TARCHER

My Pet Virus (Sept., $9.95) by Shawn Decker. The author, HIV-positive from a childhood blood transfusion, describes his life as an HIV educator.

Jeb! America’s Next Bush (Feb., $26.95) by S.V. Date. The Tallahassee bureau chief of the Palm Beach Post muckrakes his way to the core of the man who might one day become president.

TEXAS A&M UNIV. PRESS

The Lost Years of William S. Burroughs: Beats in South Texas (Sept., $40) by Rob Johnson describes the author’s little-known years as a Texas cotton farmer.

ULYSSES PRESS

Mémoire Sexuel: The Erotic Diary of a French Girl in Spain (Sept., $12.95) by Valérie Tasso relates the story of a woman’s compulsive sexual exploration.

UNIV. OF HAWAI’I PRESS

Combat Chaplain: The Personal Story of the WWII Chaplain of the Japanese American 100th Battalion (Sept.; $24.95, cloth $39) by Israel A.S. Yost recalls the author’s experiences on the front lines in Italy.

UNIV. OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRESS

Scorekeeping: Essays from Home (Oct., $18.95) by Bob Cowser Jr. The author’s experiences in a variety of small towns provide a mosaic of life at the end of the last century.

VIRGIN BOOKS

The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker: An Erotic Memoir (Oct., $12.95) by Suzanne Portnoy. The author describes her diverse sexual and amatory encounters.

WAYNE STATE UNIV. PRESS

House of Fields: Memories of a Rural Education (Nov., $19.95) by Anne-Marie Oomen. A collection of personal essays recalls a girl’s early life in rural Michigan.