FICTION : NEIL DIAMOND: SOLITARY STAR, Rich Wiseman (Dodd, Mead: $16.95; 320 pp.).

This unauthorized biography of the singer / songwriter spans Neil Diamond’s life from his childhood in Brooklyn, to his years hustling songs in Tin Pan Alley in New York City’s theater district, to his White House performance in 1985 for an audience of notables, which included an avid fan: Princess Di. Wiseman has worked at Songwriter Magazine and Rolling Stone, and currently is a features copy editor at the Los Angeles Times.