Biography

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (Paperback)

By Robert K. Massie

$20.00

ISBN: 9780345408778

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Random House Trade - September 18th, 2012

 

Helen Mirren will soon star as the great lady, but the whole astonishing story is here. A 14 year old girl from minor German nobility is picked to marry the grandson of Peter the Great. Through improbable twists and turns, she uses dazzling intellect and political savvy to embody and lead Russia. This historical telling is a satisfying wow, from Pulitzer prize winning author, Robert Massie.

Molly

Ali: A Life (Hardcover)

By Jonathan Eig

$30.00

ISBN: 9780544435247

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Houghton Mifflin - October 3rd, 2017

This is not a book about boxing, although if you are not a boxing enthusiast you will certainly learn a lot about the sport. It is much more a book about one of the most outsized personalities of the 60s,about race relations and politics and Vietnam, and about how Cassius Clay went from being a poor kid in Louisville to "The Champ" and "The Greatest". A very compelling read, and worth all the pages.

David

The Great Nadar: The Man Behind the Camera (Hardcover)

By Adam Begley

$28.00

ISBN: 9781101902608

Availability: Available at Warehouse

Published: Tim Duggan Books - July 11th, 2017

Photography lovers will relish this fascinating biography of the legendary French photographer known as Nadar.  A visionary with an abundance of panache, Nadar pioneered the use of aerial photography – he was an avid balloonist – and celebrity photography, photographing tout le monde de Paris – Bernhardt, Delacroix, George Sand, Victor Hugo, among others – he was the Andy Warhol of his time.  Nathan

Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom (Hardcover)

By Thomas E. Ricks

$28.00

ISBN: 9781594206139

Availability: Available at Warehouse

Published: Penguin Press - May 23rd, 2017

A fascinating lens through which to view their historical time and place. The concept really works, and you also get a good thumbnail bio of each of these 20th century giants.

Gary

Jonathan Swift: The Reluctant Rebel (Hardcover)

By John Stubbs

$39.95

ISBN: 9780393239423

Availability: Available at Warehouse

Published: W. W. Norton & Company - February 28th, 2017

I only knew (or cared,really) of Jonathan Swift as the author of Gulliver's Travels - but John Stubbs work was recommended to me as a sterling example of the biographer's art. I found it a most pleasurable reading experience and an excellent life study.

Gary

The Bettencourt Affair: The World's Richest Woman and the Scandal That Rocked Paris (Hardcover)

By Tom Sancton

$28.00

ISBN: 9781101984475

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Dutton Books - August 8th, 2017

Take a rich (she’s worth nearly 40 billion dollars) lonely woman, add a flamboyant artist once the toast of Paris, then mix in a vengeful daughter and you have scandal, betrayal and a fascinating family drama played out in public.  

Nathan

Max Perkins: Editor of Genius (Paperback)

By A. Scott Berg

$18.00

ISBN: 9780399584831

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Berkley Books - June 7th, 2016

He has since written terrific biographies of Lindbergh and Woodrow Wilson, but Berg's debut introduced the world to Perkins, a towering and largely unknown literary giant who edited many of the greats of the early 20th century. It took them 40 years to realize it would make a good film.

David

Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A. (Hardcover)

By Danielle Allen

$24.95

ISBN: 9781631493119

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Liveright Publishing Corporation - September 5th, 2017

Harvard professor Danielle Allen tells the story of her cousin Michael, who spent much of his life in prison and died a victim of violent crime. A powerful exploration of race, class, and the problems of the justice system that grapples with the limitations of love and good intentions.

Sarah

Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire: A Study of Genius, Mania, and Character (Hardcover)

By Kay Redfield Jamison

$29.95

ISBN: 9780307700278

Availability: Available at Warehouse

Published: Knopf Publishing Group - February 28th, 2017

A rare confluence of the perfect writer with the perfect subject. An invaluable, fascinating, beautifully-written work - on multiple levels.

Ernest Hemingway: A Biography (Hardcover)

By Mary V. Dearborn

$35.00

ISBN: 9780307594679

Availability: Available at Warehouse

Published: Knopf Publishing Group - May 16th, 2017

Over the years I've read several Hemingway bios (his life is more interesting than a lot of his writing). Along with a great narrative, Dearborn brings fresh insights that had me saying "Of course!" My favorite Hemingway bio so far.

Gary