Love is bound to be found in Valentine's Day books

Those looking for some Valentine's Day romance between the covers are certain to find it -- between the covers of any of several new books.

Roses symbolize romance, and "A book is like a rose -- its beauty unfolds before our eyes/ Just as a reader's heart opens in delight." So says a Persian proverb quoted in "The Romance of the Rose: A Celebration in Painting and Verse" (Prestel).

In her book, Eva Rosenkranz has paired love poems with 56 color reproductions of paintings of roses -- red, yellow, white and pink ones, displayed in vases, lying on tables, growing in gardens.

Van Gogh, Chagall, O'Keeffe, Renoir and Manet are among the artists represented, while the poetry includes works by, among others, Shakespeare, Emily Bronte, Robert Frost, Robert Browning, Dorothy Parker and Rudyard Kipling.

And by Frederick Peterson (1859-1938), whose poem "At Parting" says:

"The sweetest flower that blows,

"I give you as we part.

"For you it is a rose,

"For me it is my heart."

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Playing an underwater investigator on "Sea Hunt" wasn't the first time actor Lloyd Bridges took the plunge.

More than 50 years ago, the star of the popular 1950s TV series married Dorothy Simpson. It was a union that lasted until Lloyd's death in 1999. Every Valentine's Day during their marriage, Dorothy Bridges wrote a love poem to Lloyd, and several of those poems are at the heart of her book "You Caught Me Kissing: A Love Story" (ibooks).

Accompanying the poetry is commentary by the Bridges' three children, actors Beau and Jeff, and artist Lucinda. Also, there are photos from the family album that show scenes from Dorothy's and Lloyd's childhoods, their life together, family outings and celebrations, their handwritten cards and notes and -- no surprise -- even a few shots of Dorothy and Lloyd smooching.

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"Theatre d'Amour: The Garden of Love and Its Delights" (Taschen) is a reproduction of a one-of-a-kind book made in the Netherlands about 400 years ago.

An essay and text by Carsten-Peter Warncke accompany this volume of 143 color love emblems from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, each with descriptive verse.

The book is arranged in sections that include The Muses, The Seven Virtues, The Seven Vices, The Five Senses, and The Follies of Love.

The origin of the book is unknown. It is thought to have been commissioned by an affluent and well-educated person, as suggested by the illustrations, which are of high quality and well-colored (rare in that era) and show generous use of silver and gold. The owner, it is assumed, presented the volume to the object of his or her affection.

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It might not be an exaggeration to say that you're "crazy" about someone: In "Love Sick" (Thunder's Mouth Press), psychologist Frank Tallis describes the symptoms of falling in love -- obsession, insomnia, appetite loss, mood swings -- and shows how they're similar to those of mental illness.

Advice-seekers will find some in "Flirting 101" (Thomas Dunne). Michelle Lia Lewis and Andrew Bryant's book offers tips for men and women on how to use charm to achieve success in business, friendship and, of course, romance.