Biography & Memoir

The Parallel Lives of Plutarch are cornerstones of Western literature, and have exerted a profound influence on writers and statesmen since the Renaissance, most notably Shakespeare. This selection of ten biographies spans the period from the start of...

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the autobiographical account of T.E. Lawrence - also known as 'Lawrence of Arabia' - of his service in the Arab Revolt during the First World War, published in Penguin Modern Classics.Although 'continually and bitterly...

AS FEATURED IN THE HULU DOCUMENTARY KEEP THIS BETWEEN USA dark relationship evolves between a high schooler and her English teacher in this breathtakingly powerful memoir about a young woman who must learn to rewrite her own story.“Have you ever...

The National Book Award–winner Patti Smith presents a treasure box of a childhood memoir about “clear unspeakable joy” and “just the wish to know.” A great book about becoming an artist, Woolgathering tells of a...

A deeply personal, immensely human memoir of Lucy Sante’s journey to find herself. This is the story of transition and identity, told in gorgeous prose that is equal parts biting, empathetic and hilarious. This is a memoir that makes a difference...

The story of Messalina – third wife of the emperor Claudius and one of the most notorious women to have inhabited the Roman worldThe image of the empress Messalina as a ruthless, sexually insatiable schemer, derived from the work of Roman...

A candid and indispensable primer on all aspects of advertising from the man  Time  has called "the most sought after wizard in the business."Told with brutal candor and prodigal generosity, David Ogilvy• How to get a job in...

In this long-awaited publication, we finally learn about the other half. Katy Hessel completely rewrites our understanding of art history, starting with Plautilla Nelli, the first known Florentine female Renaissance artist, through basically yesterday...

When Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-two, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea in the west all the way to modern-day India in the east. In an unusual compromise, his two heirs—a mentally damaged half brother, Philip III, and an...

Paralleling the wealth divide of the Gilded Age with that of the modern day, Anderson Cooper is back with another historical biography fresh on the heels of his best-selling Vanderbilt. Another immensely influential and dizzyingly wealthy American...

People talk about football managers being under pressure. Trust me, that's nothing. Pressure is watching one of your drivers hit a barrier at 190mph and exploding before your eyes...' Guenther Steiner is one of motor racing's biggest and most celebrated...

The New Yorker's Best Book of 2023."sorrowful, tender...beautiful." – The New York Times Book Review.“...arresting and memorable….Masud both finds a way to comprehend her own story and establishes a strong voice that confirms her as a...

The Olympic gold medalist offers a poignant, loving account of her life with her long-time partner and beloved husband, Sergei Grinkov, from their first introduction and successive world pairs skating championships, to their storybook romance and...

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Residence and First Women, the first ever authorized biography of the most famous movie star of the twentieth century, Elizabeth Taylor.   No celebrity rivals Elizabeth Taylor’s glamour and...

The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2020.Time Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2020.NPR's Best Books of 2020.National Book Award in Poetry, Longlist.Frank Sanchez Book Award.After her mother died, poet Victoria Chang refused to write elegies...

Written during the Second World War, The Living Mountain describes the incredible journeys Shepherd made into the regal Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland in a powerful meditation on the solace and strength to be found in the wilderness.  'Most...

If you’re tired of British history written by men, about men, then Philippa Gregory has the book for you. Normal Womendetails the history of England from a feminist lens, building out the full spectrum as it always should have been.“Lively,...

Alan Rickman gifts us one last project — 25 years in the making. The beloved and dearly missed actor and activist offers readers a revealing look into his most personal musings on acting, politics and life in his thoughtful and beautifully written...

Written in the kind of prose that could make any story sing, How To Say Babylon is a brilliant memoir rich with universal themes of empowerment and paired with a unique lens into a world few will find familiar but all will find intriguing...

Based on the award-winning memoir by Timothy Conigrave, and adapted for the stage by acclaimed playwright Tommy Murphy, Holding the Man tells a remarkable true-life love story that speaks across generations, sexualities and cultures. The course of...