These are three of Jackie's friends you've probably never heard of before. Their anonymity speaks to a side of Jackie that wanted to escape stardom. She liked to warm herself near the talent of other women who'd distinguished themselves in ways she never quite could.

4. A Vanity Fair Insider. Fred Astaire and Jackie Onassis were both pinnacles of American elegance in the 20th century. Vanity Fair editor Sarah Giles produced a feature article on Fred Astaire that Jackie adored. Jackie wanted Giles' article made into a book. Complications ensued. Jackie's longstanding insistence on her own privacy was a little damaged in the tussle that followed.

5. An Iconic Art Director. One of the most famous professionals in the visual arts came to be friends with Jackie in the 1970s. They also considered doing a book together on Audrey Hepburn. Jackie shied away at the last minute. Were Audrey and Jackie a little too much alike? Is that why Jackie turned the idea down?

6. A Cultural Buccaneer. Double crossings. Dishonest dealing. Hurt feelings. These were some of the features of high life in Manhattan during the 1980s and 1990s. Jackie was one of the city's megawatt attractions. She had power, but the people who were the subjects of the books she wanted to edit sometimes had more.

These are three short nonfiction stories about what it was like to interview Jackie's friends. They all remembered her vividly. In telling me about themselves and their friendship with Jackie, they reveal more about the former First Lady than a catalog of her dresses or a collection of snapshots can convey.