Dedications are fun.
At least, they are for the author and the person to whom the book is being dedicated to. I often wonder if dedications really mean that much to anyone else; I always read them if a book has them, but they rarely mean anything to me (hence, I can't remember any that are worth sharing as examples). I don't know the person or the author, so it isn't special to me.However, as an author I feel the dedication is more for me than it is for my readers. It's a very special way for me to give thanks and honor to someone I appreciate. I am an author; my heart and soul goes into these books that I produce. To dedicate it to someone is a very personal way of saying "This is how much you mean to me."
I take dedications pretty seriously. I can only write so many books, so the dedication is a pretty exclusive spot. Generally speaking I dedicate the book to someone who had an important role in the development of the book, whether directly or indirectly. Hence, I often get an idea for whom I want to dedicate the book to early on in the drafting, but it does occasionally change. With Peter's Angel I have some dedications I've had for awhile, and some that have developed later on in the process. Hence, I'm doing something a little different with the dedications... But you'll have to wait and see, because I'm keeping it a surprise this time.
I like dedications that are more elaborate or have a poetic (or witty) flavor; they are fun to read, although I don't think plainer ones are insufficient. *might have to look up this Little Prince book*
That project's been shredded so it doesn't count anymore. 