Catching Up with Last Week’s Parties

By Neal 

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Last Wednesday night, while the National Book Awards were going on at Times Square, the New-York Historical Society was holding its annual “History Makers Gala” at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, paying tribute to historian David McCullough, who brought along several family members to help him celebrate his second big break of the week (following a new book deal with S&S). Among the other attendees, who contributed a total of $3 million to the society during the evening, was Harry Potter audiobook star Jim Dale and his wife, Julie (inset). (Thanks to Don Pollard for the photos.)

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Meanwhile, at the Dooney & Bourke store, Vanity Fair hosted a reception for Janice Erlbaum (right) in advance celebration of her second memoir, Have You Found Her, which Villard is publishing next March. The new book follows Erlbaum’s return as an adult volunteer to the homeless shelter she wrote about in Girlbomb, and a friendship she develops with one of the residents that takes on a dramatic series of twists. Some of the women in that new story were guests at the reception, flanked by Erlbaum and Random House marketing ace Avideh Bashirrad.