Looking for good biographies

astrangerhere · 05-18-2014, 06:04 PM

Once upon a time, before I was a professor of law, I was an English major. But I never really read all that many biographies, even in college and certainly not in law school. It is a gaping hole in my literacy, which I would like to improve. I'm interested in your thoughts on biographies from ancient history up until World War II. I picked up Susan Roland's biographies of Queen Elizabeth I this afternoon, but would like to develop a TBR pile of this genre. All suggestions welcome!

jgaiser · 05-18-2014, 08:12 PM

Abraham Lincoln:
Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin
A. Lincoln - Ronald C. White Jr.

Winston Churchill:
Last Lion series - William Manchester (sort of unfinished. Manchester died before completing the third volume, but asked journalist Paul Reid to finish the last volume. Exceptional).

Off the top of my head. I'll see if I can find more to recommend.

WillAdams · 05-18-2014, 08:49 PM

I've been reading H. Rider Haggard's autobiography which we have here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54917

Looking forward to more suggestions for this --- I've been wanting to put together a list of biographies and read them chronologically.

jgaiser · 05-18-2014, 09:29 PM

Truman - David McCullough (another exceptional biography)

No Ordinary Times - Doris Kearns Goodwin (Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II)

Cochrane - David Cordingly (Inspiration for Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series of novels - Napoleonic Wars)

bfisher · 05-18-2014, 10:02 PM

"Anthony Trollope" -Victoria Glendinning
"The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution " - David Quammen
Charles Darwin - Janet Browne (multi-volume)
"Uncrowned King: The Life of Prince Albert" - Stanley Weintraub
"American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964" - William Manchester (FDR called him one of the most dangerous men in America)
"The Life of Andrew Jackson" - Robert Remini
"Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power" - Richard J. Carwardine
"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" - Edmund Morris
"Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr." - Ron Chernow
"Andrew Carnegie" - David Nasaw
"The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt" - T.J. Stiles
"Piero's Light In Search of Piero Della Francesca : A Renaissance Painter and the Revolution in Art, Science, and Religion" - Larry Witham
"Washington: A Life" - Ron Chernow
"A.Lincoln" Ronald C. White, Jr.
"His Excellency: George Washington" - Joseph Ellis
"Truman" - David McCullough
"John Adams" - David McCullough
"Alexander Hamilton" - Ron Chernow
"Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45" - Barbara W. Tuchman
"The First Man" - Albert Camus (an "autobiographical novel" of Camus early life in Algeria)
"Hemingway: a Life Story" - Carlos Baker
"The Last Lion" - William Manchester (multi-volume bio of Winston Churchill)
"Hitler, Vol 1: 1889-1936 Hubris" - Ian Kershaw
"The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo" - Tom Reiss
"Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" - Robert K. Massie
"Peter the Great: His Life and World" - Robert K. Massie
"Lincoln" - David Herbert Donald

Lots of good ones listed here: http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/Biogra...-Autobiography

More here: http://www.wolfson.org.uk/history-prize/ (not all biographical)

More here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/tait...ners/biography

pwalker8 · 05-19-2014, 07:27 AM

There are a lot of good biographies out there.

Going back to ancient history, Phillip Freeman's biographies of Alexander the Great and Caesar are both well worth reading. Goldsworthy's "Caesar: Life of a Collossus" is also well worth reading.

Walter Isaacson's biographies of Ben Franklin and Einstein were pretty good.

I liked David McCullough's biography of John Adams. His biography on Truman was also quite good

rollei · 05-19-2014, 12:30 PM

President Kennedy: Profile of Power by Richard Reeves

Glorfindel · 05-19-2014, 01:40 PM

Edward V. Rickenbacker's autobiography remains one of my favorite books. Well worth reading.

crich70 · 05-19-2014, 02:45 PM

Munsey's has some 903 ebooks of biographies in multiple formats, and all for free.

Click

Angst · 05-19-2014, 03:51 PM

Given your law background, you might enjoy Alexander Hamilton.

At 860 pages it's a bit of a slog.

BenG · 05-20-2014, 12:33 AM

All Creatures Great and Small and its sequels by James Herriot.

jersysman · 05-20-2014, 02:33 PM

Since I like reading biographies, what I have done is break them down by period. Right now I am reading Civil War era biographies and also Native America biographies. From there I am going to go to the Revolutionary War era.

WillAdams · 05-20-2014, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jersysman

Since I like reading biographies, what I have done is break them down by period. Right now I am reading Civil War era biographies and also Native America biographies. From there I am going to go to the Revolutionary War era.

I really wish that metadata and book management programs would make that sort of thing easier --- I d/l'd a bunch of the biographies from crich70's linking to Munsey's site, but the best option I'm seeing for puzzling out how to read them in chronological order is to:

- copy all the filenames into a spreadsheet
- open each file, determine the timeframe it spans and add that into 2 columns
- sort the list based on the 2 new columns
- type or paste in the name of the book into the first column
- print it out and check off the books as I read them

ccowie · 05-21-2014, 03:28 PM

Here are a few non-political biographies and autobiographies that I have really enjoyed:

Life with Picasso by Francoise Gilot (Picasso's lover for 10 years - excellent story!)

The Life and Times of Mordecai Richler by Charles Foran

Searching for Bobby Orr by Steven Brunt (One of the best sports biographies and better than Orr's autobiography)

Northern Light: The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson and the Women Who Loved Him by Roy MacGregor.

The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef by Marco Pierre White. I've read lots of chef bios and autobios and enjoyed this one the most.

bfisher · 05-30-2014, 09:01 PM

You might be interested in Robert Zaretsky's "A Life Worth Living". It isn't a linear biography of Albert Camus, but a discussion of events in Camus' life in relation to the themes in his work.

Camus' autobiographical novel "The First Man" is a wonderful description of his early life.

05-18-2014, 06:04 PM	#1
astrangerhere Professor of Law Posts: 3,751 Karma: 68428716 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Libra H20, Kobo Aura One, KoboMini	Looking for good biographies Once upon a time, before I was a professor of law, I was an English major. But I never really read all that many biographies, even in college and certainly not in law school. It is a gaping hole in my literacy, which I would like to improve. I'm interested in your thoughts on biographies from ancient history up until World War II. I picked up Susan Roland's biographies of Queen Elizabeth I this afternoon, but would like to develop a TBR pile of this genre. All suggestions welcome!

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05-18-2014, 08:12 PM	#2
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,283 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Abraham Lincoln: Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin A. Lincoln - Ronald C. White Jr. Winston Churchill: Last Lion series - William Manchester (sort of unfinished. Manchester died before completing the third volume, but asked journalist Paul Reid to finish the last volume. Exceptional). Off the top of my head. I'll see if I can find more to recommend.

05-18-2014, 08:49 PM	#3
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,258 Karma: 3439432 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	I've been reading H. Rider Haggard's autobiography which we have here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54917 Looking forward to more suggestions for this --- I've been wanting to put together a list of biographies and read them chronologically.

05-18-2014, 09:29 PM	#4
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,283 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Truman - David McCullough (another exceptional biography) No Ordinary Times - Doris Kearns Goodwin (Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II) Cochrane - David Cordingly (Inspiration for Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series of novels - Napoleonic Wars)

05-18-2014, 10:02 PM	#5
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	"Anthony Trollope" -Victoria Glendinning "The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution " - David Quammen Charles Darwin - Janet Browne (multi-volume) "Uncrowned King: The Life of Prince Albert" - Stanley Weintraub "American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964" - William Manchester (FDR called him one of the most dangerous men in America) "The Life of Andrew Jackson" - Robert Remini "Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power" - Richard J. Carwardine "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" - Edmund Morris "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr." - Ron Chernow "Andrew Carnegie" - David Nasaw "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt" - T.J. Stiles "Piero's Light In Search of Piero Della Francesca : A Renaissance Painter and the Revolution in Art, Science, and Religion" - Larry Witham "Washington: A Life" - Ron Chernow "A.Lincoln" Ronald C. White, Jr. "His Excellency: George Washington" - Joseph Ellis "Truman" - David McCullough "John Adams" - David McCullough "Alexander Hamilton" - Ron Chernow "Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45" - Barbara W. Tuchman "The First Man" - Albert Camus (an "autobiographical novel" of Camus early life in Algeria) "Hemingway: a Life Story" - Carlos Baker "The Last Lion" - William Manchester (multi-volume bio of Winston Churchill) "Hitler, Vol 1: 1889-1936 Hubris" - Ian Kershaw "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo" - Tom Reiss "Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" - Robert K. Massie "Peter the Great: His Life and World" - Robert K. Massie "Lincoln" - David Herbert Donald Lots of good ones listed here: http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/Biogra...-Autobiography More here: http://www.wolfson.org.uk/history-prize/ (not all biographical) More here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/tait...ners/biography

05-19-2014, 07:27 AM	#6
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	There are a lot of good biographies out there. Going back to ancient history, Phillip Freeman's biographies of Alexander the Great and Caesar are both well worth reading. Goldsworthy's "Caesar: Life of a Collossus" is also well worth reading. Walter Isaacson's biographies of Ben Franklin and Einstein were pretty good. I liked David McCullough's biography of John Adams. His biography on Truman was also quite good

05-19-2014, 12:30 PM	#7
rollei Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 1000210 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Kobo	President Kennedy: Profile of Power by Richard Reeves

05-19-2014, 01:40 PM	#8
Glorfindel Force-Aware Elf Posts: 4,762 Karma: 11557898 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Valinor Device: Kindle 4 w/SO	Edward V. Rickenbacker's autobiography remains one of my favorite books. Well worth reading.

05-19-2014, 02:45 PM	#9
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Munsey's has some 903 ebooks of biographies in multiple formats, and all for free. Click

05-19-2014, 03:51 PM	#10
Angst Cannon Fodder Posts: 2,877 Karma: 52253556 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Probably a library Device: PRS-350, Kindle DX, Kindle Paperwhite	Given your law background, you might enjoy Alexander Hamilton. At 860 pages it's a bit of a slog.

05-20-2014, 12:33 AM	#11
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,730 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	All Creatures Great and Small and its sequels by James Herriot.

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05-20-2014, 02:33 PM	#12
jersysman Wizard Posts: 1,747 Karma: 3761220 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Device: T1 Red, Kindle Fire, Kindle PW, PW2, Nook HD+, Kobo Mini, Aura HD	Since I like reading biographies, what I have done is break them down by period. Right now I am reading Civil War era biographies and also Native America biographies. From there I am going to go to the Revolutionary War era.

05-21-2014, 03:28 PM	#14
ccowie Hiding with an ereader Posts: 391 Karma: 3987376 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kitchener Ontario Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony PRS 950, Ipad 2, PRS 350	Here are a few non-political biographies and autobiographies that I have really enjoyed: Life with Picasso by Francoise Gilot (Picasso's lover for 10 years - excellent story!) The Life and Times of Mordecai Richler by Charles Foran Searching for Bobby Orr by Steven Brunt (One of the best sports biographies and better than Orr's autobiography) Northern Light: The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson and the Women Who Loved Him by Roy MacGregor. The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef by Marco Pierre White. I've read lots of chef bios and autobios and enjoyed this one the most.

05-30-2014, 09:01 PM	#15
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	You might be interested in Robert Zaretsky's "A Life Worth Living". It isn't a linear biography of Albert Camus, but a discussion of events in Camus' life in relation to the themes in his work. Camus' autobiographical novel "The First Man" is a wonderful description of his early life.