The mystique and attraction of Mary Poppins, written in 1934, appear stronger now than ever. Television shows like Nanny 911 and Supernanny feature British nannies coming to the rescue of American families. Last year’s Nanny McPhee featured a British nanny with magical powers. And a theater production of Mary Poppins, co-produced by Disney, opens on Broadway this month. Yet the irony is that most people’s impression of the famous nanny comes from the 1964 Disney film, not from the series of books written by Australian-born writer P.L. Travers. In Mary Poppins, She Wrote, journalist Valerie Lawson does an admirable job of recounting Travers’ life and sorting out the Poppins created by Travers and the one distorted by Disney. Travers’ Poppins, seemingly a composite of different people from her restless life, rarely cracked a smile and tended toward mysticism and religious symbolism rather than song. The original Mary Poppins was never charming. . . . Almost sadistic at times, Mary is never really nasty but often very sharp. She is a controlling force, making order from disorder, making magic, then never admitting magic took place, writes Lawson.

Like a diligent therapist, Lawson who corresponded with Travers and was allowed access to her papers after Travers’ death in 1996 at the age of 96 digs into Travers’ past and speculates about the origins of the characters populating her memorable books. She tells of Travers’ start as an actress and poet, her study of Eastern religions and her tangling with Walt Disney himself over the making of the movie. In a letter to her London publisher, Travers wrote that the film was Disney through and through, spectacular, colourful, gorgeous but all wrapped around mediocrity of thought, poor glimmerings of understanding, and oversimplification. Ironically, the huge Hollywood success overshadowed the complex story of Travers’ own life.

Lisa Waddle is a writer in Nashville.

A must-have for any bibliophile, American Writers at Home, co-published by the Library of America and the Vendome Press, provides a peek into the private lives of 21 famous literary figures. Taking readers on a coast-to-coast tour, this wonderful book visits the painstakingly preserved homes of a wide range of writers. From Eugene O’Neill’s elegant, understated residence in Danville, California, to Washington Irving’s charming cottage in Tarrytown, New York, the volume presents a liberal cross section of authors, regions and eras. Photographer Erica Lennard provides captivating portraits of each artist’s workspace, illuminating the day-to-day routines of American favorites like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson and Edith Wharton. The text by poet J.D. McClatchy includes fascinating anecdotes about the domestic habits and working methods of each figure. The breathtaking visuals, showcasing typewriters, parchment, manuscripts and other tools of the trade, combined with McClatchy’s commentary, make the book an intriguing meditation on the importance of personal space to the creative lives of writers. Julie Hale is a writer in Austin, Texas.

An artist unafraid to improvise at life, Henry David Thoreau was a man who dared to be an idealist. In 1845, he conducted his famous experiment in the woods of Massachusetts, single-handedly building a cabin on Walden Pond, where he weathered two winters in solitude. Honoring his strength of spirit and unique wisdom, Walden: 150th Illustrated Edition of the American Classic was recently published, with unforgettable color photographs by Texas native Scot Miller. Released to mark the 150th anniversary of the original publication of Walden, this beautiful volume was produced by Houghton Mifflin (Thoreau’s original publisher) in conjunction with the Walden Woods Project, a nonprofit organization established by singer-songwriter Don Henley to protect the wilderness immortalized in Thoreau’s work. Complementing Thoreau’s original text, Miller’s stunning photographs capture the serenity and majesty of the Massachusetts wilderness in each of the four seasons. With a special introduction by nature writer E.O. Wilson, this lavish volume is a bargain at $28.12 (that’s half a cent less than Thoreau spent on the construction of his cabin). A portion of the proceeds from sales of the book will go to the Walden Woods project.

Julie Hale is a writer in Austin, Texas.