Adams, Henry |
The Last American Aristocrat: The Brilliant Life and Improbable Education of Henry Adams by David S. Brown |
2020 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Henry Adams and the Making of America by Garry Wills |
2005 |
|
Adams, John |
John Adams: A Life by John Ferling |
1992 |
REVIEW (4¾ stars) |
|
John Adams by David McCullough |
2001 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
John Adams (1735-1826) (2 volumes) by Page Smith |
1962 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
Adams, John Quincy |
John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit by James Traub |
2016 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul Nagel |
1997 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
John Quincy Adams: American Visionary by Fred Kaplan |
2014 |
|
Adams, Sam |
Samuel Adams: A Life by Ira Stoll |
2008 |
|
|
Samuel Adams: Father of the American Revolution by Mark Puls |
2006 |
|
Antoinette, Marie |
Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser |
2001 |
Third-party reviews |
Armstrong, Louis |
Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout |
2009 |
|
Arnold, Benedict |
Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor by Willard Sterne Randall |
1990 |
|
Arthur, Chester |
Gentleman Boss: The Life of Chester Alan Arthur by Thomas Reeves |
1975 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Augustine |
Augustine of Hippo: A Biography by Peter Brown |
1967 |
|
Augustus |
Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy |
2014 |
|
Bach |
Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven by John Gardiner |
2013 |
Third-party reviews |
|
Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician by Christoph Wolff |
2000 |
|
Baker, James A. |
The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III by Peter Baker |
2020 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
Beecher, Henry Ward |
The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate |
2006 |
REVIEW (3½ stars) |
Beethoven |
Beethoven: The Music and the Life by Lewis Lockwood |
2002 |
|
|
Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph by Jan Swafford |
2014 |
|
Bell, Alexander Graham |
Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention by Charlotte Gray |
2006 |
|
Boone, Daniel |
Daniel Boone: The Life and Legend of an American Pioneer by John Faragher |
1992 |
|
Brandeis, Louis |
Louis D. Brandeis: A Life by Melvin Urofsky |
2009 |
|
Brown, John |
Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War by Tony Horwitz |
2011 |
|
Brunelleschi |
Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King |
2000 |
|
Bryan, Wm Jennings |
A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan by Michael Kazin |
2006 |
|
Buchanan, James |
President James Buchanan: A Biography by Philip Klein |
1962 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Buffett, Warren |
The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder |
2008 |
|
|
Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein |
1995 |
|
Burr, Aaron |
Burr: A Novel by Gore Vidal |
1973 |
|
Bush, George H.W. |
Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham |
2015 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Bush, George W |
Bush by Jean Edward Smith |
2016 |
REVIEW (3½ stars) |
|
Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House by Peter Baker |
2013 |
|
Caesar, Julius |
Caesar: Life of a Collosus by Adrian Goldsworthy |
2006 |
|
Calhoun, John |
John C. Calhoun: A Biography by Irving Bartlett |
1994 |
|
|
John C. Calhoun: American Portrait by Margaret Coit |
1950 |
|
Carnegie, Andrew |
Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw |
2006 |
REVIEW
(4¼ stars) |
|
Andrew Carnegie by Joseph Frazier Wall |
1970 |
|
Carter, Jimmy |
His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life by Jonathan Alter |
2020 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
The Unfinished Presidency: Jimmy Carter’s Quest for Global Peace by Douglas Brinkley |
1998 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
President Carter: The White House Years by Stuart Eizenstat |
2018 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Carver, George Washington |
George Washington Carver: A Life by Christina Vella |
2015 |
|
Catherine the Great |
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie |
2011 |
|
Chaplin, Charlie |
Chaplin: His Life and Art by David Robinson |
1985 |
|
Churchill, Winston |
Churchill: Walking With Destiny by Andrew Roberts |
2018 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Churchill by Roy Jenkins |
2001 |
|
|
Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert |
1991 |
|
|
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory 1874-1932 (Vol 1) by William Manchester |
1983 |
|
|
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone 1932-1940 (Vol 2) by William Manchester |
1988 |
|
|
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm 1940-1965 (Vol 3) by William Manchester and Paul Reid |
2011 |
|
|
Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon Meacham |
2003 |
|
|
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard |
2016 |
|
Clay, Henry |
Henry Clay: The Essential American by David Heidler |
2010 |
|
|
Henry Clay: A Statesman for the Union by Robert Remini |
1991 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Cleveland, Grover |
Grover Cleveland: A Study in Character by Alyn Brodsky |
2000 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Clinton, Bill |
First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton by David Maraniss |
1995 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House by John Harris |
2005 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
Cobb, Ty |
Cobb: A Biography by Al Stump |
1994 |
|
|
Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty by Charles Leerhsen |
2015 |
Third-party reviews |
Columbus, Christopher |
Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus by Samuel Eliot Morison |
1942 |
|
Cook, James |
Captain James Cook: A Biography by Richard Hough |
1994 |
|
|
The Life of Captain James Cook by J.C. Beaglehole |
1992 |
|
Coolidge, Calvin |
Coolidge: An American Enigma by Robert Sobel |
1998 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Calvin Coolidge: The Quiet President by Donald McCoy |
1967 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Copernicus |
The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus by Owen Gingerich |
2004 |
|
Cortes, Hernan |
Hernan Cortes: Conqueror of Mexico by Salvador de Madariaga |
1942 |
|
|
Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs by Buddy Levy |
2008 |
|
Crazy Horse |
The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History by Joseph M. Marshall III |
2004 |
|
|
Crazy Horse: A Lakota Life by Kinglsey Bray |
2006 |
|
Crockett, David |
David Crockett: The Lion of the West by Michael Wallis |
2011 |
|
Curie, Madame |
Madame Curie: A Biography by Eve Curie |
1936 |
|
Custer, George |
Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors by Stephen Ambrose |
1975 |
|
|
Custer’s Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America by T. J. Stiles |
2015 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
da Gama, Vasco |
The Last Crusade: The Epic Voyages of Vasco da Gama by Nigel Cliff |
2011 |
|
da Vinci, Leonardo |
Leonardo and the Last Supper by Ross King |
2012 |
|
|
Leonardo da Vinci: Flights of the Mind by Charles Nicholl |
2004 |
|
|
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson |
2017 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
Darwin, Charles |
Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist by Adrian Desmond |
1991 |
|
|
Charles Darwin: A Biography, Voyaging (Vol 1) by Janet Browne |
1995 |
|
|
Charles Darwin: A Biography, The Power of Place (Vol 2) by Janet Browne |
2002 |
|
Davis, Jefferson |
Jefferson Davis, American by William Cooper |
2000 |
|
|
Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour by William Davis |
1991 |
|
|
Jefferson Davis: American Patriot 1808-1861 (Vol 1) by Hudson Strode |
1955 |
|
|
Jefferson Davis: Confederate President (Vol 2) by Hudson Strode |
1959 |
|
|
Jefferson Davis: Tragic Hero (Vol 3) by Hudson Strode |
1964 |
|
De Gaulle, Charles |
The General: Charles De Gaulle and the France He Saved by Jonathan Fenby |
2012 |
|
de Soto, Hernando |
Hernando de Soto: A Savage Question in the Americas by David Duncan |
1996 |
|
Dickens, Charles |
Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin |
2011 |
|
|
Charles Dickens by Michael Slater |
2007 |
|
|
Charles Dickens: His Tragedy and Triumph by Edgar Johnson |
1952 |
|
Disney, Walt |
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney by Michael Barrier |
2007 |
|
|
Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler |
2006 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas |
1976 |
|
Douglass, Frederick |
Frederick Douglass by William McFeely |
1990 |
|
|
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight |
2018 |
|
Drake, Francis |
Sir Francis Drake by John Sugden |
1991 |
|
Dumas, Alex |
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss |
2012 |
|
Earp, Wyatt |
Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend by Casey Tefertiller |
1997 |
|
Edison, Thomas |
Edison: A Biography by Matthew Josephson |
1959 |
|
Einstein, Albert |
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson |
2007 |
Third-party reviews |
Eisenhower, Dwight |
Eisenhower In War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith |
2012 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Eisenhower: A Solider’s Life by Carlo D’Este |
2002 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Elizabeth I, Queen |
The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir |
1996 |
|
Emerson, Ralph |
Emerson: The Mind on Fire by Robert Richardson |
1995 |
|
Euler |
Leonhard Euler: Mathematical Genius in the Enlightenment by Ronald Calinger |
2015 |
|
Faraday, Michael |
The Electric Life of Michael Faraday by Alan Hirshfeld |
2006 |
|
Feynman, Richard |
Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick |
1992 |
|
Fillmore, Millard |
Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President by Robert Rayback |
1959 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Fitzgerald, F. Scott |
Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald by Matthew Bruccoli |
1981 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
Ford, Gerald |
Gerald Ford: An Honorable Life by James Cannon |
2013 |
REVIEW (3½ stars) |
Ford, Henry |
The People’s Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts |
2005 |
|
Franklin, Benjamin |
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson |
2003 |
Third-party reviews |
|
Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren |
1938 |
|
|
The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by HW Brands |
2000 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin by Gordon Wood |
2004 |
|
Galileo |
Galileo by John Heilbron |
2010 |
|
Gandhi |
Gandhi Before India (Vol 1) by Ramachandra Guha |
2013 |
|
Garfield, James |
Garfield: A Biography by Allan Peskin |
1978 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard |
2011 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Gehrig, Lou |
Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig by Jonathan Eig |
2005 |
|
Genet, Jean |
Genet: A Biography by Edmund White |
1993 |
|
Geronimo |
Geronimo by Robert Utley |
2012 |
|
Goebbels, Joseph |
Goebbels: A Biography by Peter Longerich |
2010 |
|
Goldwyn, Samuel |
Goldwyn: A Biography by A. Scott Berg |
1989 |
|
Gould, Jay |
The Life and Legend of Jay Gould by Maury Klein |
1986 |
|
Grant, Cary |
Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise by Scott Eyman |
2020 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Grant, Ulysses |
Grant by Jean Edward Smith |
2001 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses S. Grant In War and Peace by H.W. Brands |
2012 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Grant: A Biography by William McFeely |
1981 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Captain Sam Grant (Vol 1) by Lloyd Lewis |
1950 |
|
|
Grant Moves South (Vol 2) by Bruce Catton |
1960 |
|
|
Grant Takes Command (Vol 3) by Bruce Catton |
1969 |
|
|
American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald White |
2016 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Grant by Ron Chernow |
2017 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
Greenspan, Alan |
The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan by Sebastian Mallaby |
2016 |
|
Guevara, Che |
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson |
1997 |
|
Halsey, William |
Bull Halsey by E.B. Potter |
1985 |
|
Hamilton, Alexander |
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow |
2004 |
REVIEW (5 stars) |
|
Alexander Hamilton: A Life by Willard Sterne Randall |
2003 |
|
Harrison, Benjamin |
Benjamin Harrison: Hoosier Warrior (Vol 1) by Harry J. Sievers |
1952 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Benjamin Harrison: Hoosier Statesman (Vol 2) by Harry J. Sievers |
1959 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Benjamin Harrison: Hoosier President (Vol 3) by Harry J. Sievers |
1968 |
REVIEW (3¼ stars) |
Hawking, Stephen |
Stephen Hawking: A Biography by Kristine Larsen |
2005 |
|
Hay, John |
All the Great Prizes: The Life of John Hay by John Taliaferro |
2013 |
|
Hayes, Rutherford |
Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior and President by Ari Hoogenboom |
1995 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Hearst, William Randolph |
The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst by David Nasaw |
2000 |
|
Hemingway, Ernest |
Hemingway by Kenneth S. Lynn |
1987 |
|
Henry VIII |
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir |
1992 |
|
|
The King and His Court by Alison Weir |
2001 |
|
Henry, Patrick |
Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation by Harlow Unger |
2010 |
|
Hershey, Milton |
Hershey: Milton S. Hershey’s Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams by Michael D’Antonio |
2006 |
|
Hitler, Adolf |
Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography by John Toland |
1976 |
|
|
Hitler by Joachim Fest |
1974 |
|
|
Hitler: A Biography (abridgement) by Ian Kershaw |
2008 |
|
|
Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris (Vol 1) by Ian Kershaw |
1998 |
|
|
Hitler: 1936-1945 Nemesis (Vol 2) by Ian Kershaw |
2000 |
|
|
Hitler: A Study in Tyranny by Alan Bullock |
1962 |
|
|
Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939 (Vol 1) by Volker Ullrich |
2016 |
|
Hoover, Herbert |
Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times by Kenneth Whyte |
2017 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Herbert Hoover in the White House: The Ordeal of the Presidency by Charles Rappleye |
2016 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Hoover, J Edgar |
J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets by Curt Gentry |
1991 |
|
Hopkins, Harry |
Harry Hopkins: A Biography by Henry Hitch Adams |
2012 |
|
|
The Hopkins Touch: Harry Hopkins and the Forging of the Alliance to Defeat Hitler by David Roll |
2012 |
|
House, Colonel |
Colonel House: A Biography of Woodrow Wilson’s Silent Partner by Charles Neu |
2014 |
|
Houston, Sam |
The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston by Marquis James |
1929 |
|
|
Sam Houston by James Haley |
2002 |
|
Howe, Louis |
FDR’s Shadow: Louis Howe, the Force That Shaped Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Julie Fenster |
2009 |
|
Hughes, Howard |
Howard Hughes: The Untold Story by Peter Harry Brown |
1996 |
|
Isabella, Queen |
Isabella: The Warrior Queen by Kirstin Downey |
2014 |
|
Jackson, Andrew |
The Life of Andrew Jackson by Marquis James |
1934 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Andrew Jackson (3 volume series) by Robert Remini |
1977-84 |
REVIEWS |
|
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham |
2008 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Jackson, Stonewall |
Stonewall Jackson by James Robertson |
1997 |
|
|
Rebel Yell : The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by S.C. Gwynne |
2014 |
|
James, Jesse |
Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War by T. J. Stiles |
2002 |
|
Jay, John |
John Jay: Founding Father by Walter Stahr |
2005 |
|
Jefferson, Thomas |
Jefferson and His Time (6 volume series) by Dumas Malone |
1948-77 |
REVIEWS |
|
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham |
2012 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
Jobs, Steve |
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson |
2011 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Johnson, Andrew |
Impeached: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy by David Stewart |
2009 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
Johnson, Jack |
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson by Geoffrey Ward |
2004 |
|
Johnson, Lyndon |
The Years of Lyndon Johnson (5 volume series) by Robert Caro |
1982- |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
Lone Star Rising: Lyndon Johnson and His Times 1908-1960 (Vol 1) by Robert Dallek |
1991 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times 1961-1973 (Vol 2) by Robert Dallek |
1998 |
REVIEW (3½ stars) |
Jordan, Michael |
Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby |
2014 |
|
Keller, Helen |
Helen Keller: A Life by Dorothy Hermann |
1998 |
|
Kennedy, Jacqueline |
America’s Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis by Sarah Bradford |
2000 |
|
Kennedy, John |
An Unfinished Life: JFK 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek |
2003 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys by Doris Kearns Goodwin |
1987 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
A Thousand Days: JFK in the White House by Arthur Schlesinger Jr. |
1965 |
REVIEW (3 stars) |
Kennedy, Joseph P |
The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy by David Nasaw |
2012 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Kennedy, Robert |
Robert Kennedy and His Times by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. |
1978 |
|
|
Robert Kennedy: His Life by Evan Thomas |
2000 |
|
|
Robert Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon by Larry Tye |
2016 |
|
Kennedy, Ted |
Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy by Peter Canellos |
2009 |
|
|
Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography by Adam Clymer |
1999 |
|
Khrushchev |
Khrushchev: The Man and His Era by William Taubman |
2003 |
|
Kidd, Captain |
The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd by Richard Zacks |
2002 |
|
King Jr., Martin Luther |
Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Stephen Oates |
1982 |
|
|
America in the King Years (3 volume series) by Taylor Branch |
1988-
2006 |
|
|
King: A Biography by David Levering Lewis |
1970 |
|
|
Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by David Garrow |
1986 |
|
Kissinger, Henry |
Kissinger: A Biography by Walter Isaacson |
1992 |
|
|
Kissinger: The Idealist, 1923-1968 (Volume One) by Niall Ferguson |
2015 |
|
Lafayette |
The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered by Laura Auricchio |
2014 |
|
|
Lafayette by Harlow Unger |
2002 |
|
Lee, Robert E |
The Man Who Would Not Be Washington: Robert E. Lee’s Civil War by Jonathan Horn |
2015 |
|
|
Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E Lee by Michael Korda |
2014 |
|
|
Lee (abridgement of Douglas Southall Freeman’s 4-volume series) by Richard Harwell |
1997 |
|
Lewis, Meriwether |
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose |
1997 |
|
|
The Character of Meriwether Lewis: Explorer in the Wilderness by Clay Jenkinson |
2011 |
|
Lincoln, Abraham |
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin |
2005 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
Lincoln by David Herbert Donald |
1995 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White Jr. |
2009 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Abraham Lincoln: A Life (2 vols) by Michael Burlingame |
2008 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Abraham Lincoln: A Biography by Benjamin Thomas |
1952 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
Lincoln, Robert Todd |
Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln by Jason Emerson |
2012 |
|
Lindbergh, Charles |
Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg |
1998 |
|
Lippmann, Walter |
Walter Lippmann and the American Century by Ronald Steel |
1980 |
|
Long, Huey |
Huey Long by T. Harry Williams |
1969 |
|
Longstreet, James |
General James Longstreet: The Confederacy’s Most Controversial Soldier by Jeffry Wert |
1993 |
|
Luther, Martin |
Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton |
1950 |
|
MacArthur, Douglas |
American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964 by William Manchester |
1978 |
|
|
The Years of MacArthur (3-volume series) by D. Clayton James |
1970-85 |
|
|
Douglas MacArthur: American Warrior by Arthur Herman |
2016 |
|
Madison, James |
James Madison by Richard Brookhiser |
2011 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
James Madison: A Biography by Ralph Ketcham |
1971 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Magellan, Ferdinand |
Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen |
2004 |
|
Malcolm X |
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable |
2011 |
|
Mantle, Mickey |
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood by Jane Leavy |
2010 |
|
Marshall, George |
General of the Army: George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman by Ed Cray |
1990 |
|
|
George C. Marshall (4-volume series) by Forrest Pogue |
1963-87 |
|
Marshall, John |
John Marshall: Definer of a Nation by Jean Edward Smith |
1996 |
|
|
Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and His Times by Joel Richard Paul |
2018 |
Third-party reviews |
Marshall, Thurgood |
Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary by Juan Williams |
1998 |
|
Maxwell, James |
The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell by Basil Mahon |
2003 |
|
McCarthy, Joseph |
A Conspiracy So Immense: The World of Joe McCarthy by David Oshinsky |
1983 |
|
McKinley, William |
William McKinley and His America by H. Wayne Morgan |
1963 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Mellon, Andrew |
Mellon: An American Life by David Cannadine |
2006 |
|
Melville, Herman |
Melville: A Biography by Laurie Robertson-Lorant |
1996 |
|
Michelangelo |
Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King |
2003 |
|
|
Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces by Miles J. Unger |
2014 |
|
|
Michelangelo: His Epic Life by Martin Gayford |
2013 |
|
|
The Agony and the Ecstacy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo by Irving Stone |
1958 |
|
Mondavi, Robert |
The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty by Julia Siler |
2007 |
|
Monroe, James |
James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity by Harry Ammon |
1971 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe by Harlow Unger |
2009 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
James Monroe: A Life by Tim McGrath |
2020 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Montgomery, Bernard |
Monty: The Making of a General 1887-1942 (Vol 1) by Nigel Hamilton |
1991 |
|
|
Master of the Battlefield: Monty’s War Years 1942-1944 (Vol 2) by Nigel Hamilton |
1984 |
|
|
Monty: The Field-Marshal 1944-1976 (Vol 3) by Nigel Hamilton |
1986 |
|
Morgan, JP |
Morgan: American Financier by Jean Strouse |
1999 |
REVIEW (3 stars) |
|
The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance by Ron Chernow |
1990 |
|
Morris, Robert |
Robert Morris: Financier of the American Revolution by Charles Rappleye |
2010 |
|
Moses, Robert |
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro |
1974 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
Mozart |
Mozart: A Life by Maynard Solomon |
1995 |
REVIEW (2½ stars) |
Napoleon |
Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts |
2014 |
|
|
Napoleon by Vincent Cronin |
1971 |
|
|
Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny (Vol 1) by Michael Broers |
2014 |
|
|
Napoleon: The Spirit of the Age (Vol 2) by Michael Broers |
2018 |
|
Nash, John F. |
A Beautiful Mind: A Biography of John Forbes Nash, Jr. by Sylvia Nasar |
1998 |
|
Newton, Isaac |
Isaac Newton by James Gleick |
2003 |
|
Nicolay, John |
Lincoln’s Boys: John Hay, John Nicolay, and the War for Lincoln’s Image by Joshua Zeitz |
2013 |
|
Nimitz, Chester |
Nimitz by E.B. Potter |
1976 |
|
|
The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King – The Five Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea by Walter Borneman |
2012 |
|
Nixon, Richard |
Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of An American Politician by Roger Morris |
1990 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Nixon: The Education of a Politician 1913-1962 (Vol 1) by Stephen Ambrose |
1987 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Nixon: The Triumph of a Politician 1962-1972 (Vol 2) by Stephen Ambrose |
1989 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Nixon: Ruin & Recovery 1973-1990 (Vol 3) by Stephen Ambrose |
1991 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Richard Nixon: The Life by John Farrell |
2017 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
President Nixon: Alone in the White House by Richard Reeves |
2001 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
O’Neill, Tip |
Tip O’Neill and the Democratic Century: A Biography by John Farrell |
2001 |
|
Obama, Barack |
Barack Obama: The Story by David Maraniss |
2012 |
|
|
Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama by David Garrow |
2017 |
|
Oppenheimer, Robert |
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird |
2005 |
|
|
Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center by Ray Monk |
2012 |
|
Paine, Thomas |
Tom Paine: A Political Life by John Keane |
1995 |
|
Parks, Rosa |
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis |
2013 |
|
Patton |
Patton: A Genius for War by Carlo D’Este |
1995 |
REVIEW
(4 stars) |
|
Patton: The Man Behind the Legend, 1885-1945 by Martin Blumenson |
1985 |
|
Perkins, Frances |
The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins by Kirstin Downey |
2010 |
|
Pershing, John |
Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing (2 vols) by Frank Vandiver |
1977 |
|
|
Guerilla Warrior: The Early Life of John J. Pershing (Vol 1) by Donald Smythe |
1973 |
|
|
Pershing: General of the Armies (Vol 2) by Donald Smythe |
1986 |
|
Peter the Great |
Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert Massie |
1980 |
|
Pierce, Franklin |
Franklin Pierce: New Hampshire’s Favorite Son (Vol 1) by Peter Wallner |
2004 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Franklin Pierce: Martyr for the Union (Vol 2) by Peter Wallner |
2007 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Polk, James |
Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter Borneman |
2008 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Pope John Paul II |
Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II by George Weigel |
1999 |
|
Presley, Elvis |
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Vol 1) by Peter Guralnick |
1994 |
|
|
Carleless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley (Vol 2) by Peter Guralnick |
1999 |
|
Putin, Vladimir |
The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin by Steven Lee Myers |
2015 |
|
Queen Victoria |
Victoria: The Queen by Julia Baird |
2016 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
Raleigh, Sir Walter |
Sir Walter Raleigh: The Controversial Hero of the Elizabethian Age by Raleigh Trevelyan |
2002 |
|
Reagan, Ronald |
Reagan: The Life by H.W. Brands |
2015 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz |
2018 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Reagan: American Icon by Iwan Morgan |
2016 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power (Vol 1) by Lou Cannon |
2003 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime (Vol 2) by Lou Cannon |
1991 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Robinson, Jackie |
Jackie Robinson: A Biography by Arnold Rampersad |
1997 |
|
Rockefeller, John D. |
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow |
1998 |
REVIEW (4¾ stars) |
Rockefeller, Nelson |
On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller by Richard Norton Smith |
2014 |
|
Rogers, Will |
Will Rogers: A Biography by Ben Yagoda |
1993 |
|
Rommel, Erwin |
Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel by Daniel Allen Butler |
2015 |
|
Roosevelt, Alice |
Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker by Stacy Cordery |
2007 |
|
Roosevelt, Eleanor |
Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol 1: 1884-1933 by Blanche Wiesen Cook |
1992 |
|
|
Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol 2: The Defining Years, 1933-1938 by Blanche Wiesen Cook |
1999 |
|
|
Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol 3: The War Years and After, 1939-1962 by Blanche Wiesen Cook |
2016 |
|
|
Eleanor by David Michaelis |
2020 |
REVIEW
(4 stars) |
Roosevelt, Franklin |
FDR by Jean Edward Smith |
2007 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of FDR by H. W. Brands |
2008 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Doris Kearns Goodwin |
1994 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Before the Trumpet: Young Franklin Roosevelt 1882-1905 (Vol 1) by Geoffrey Ward |
1985 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
A First Class Temperament: The Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt 1905-1928 (Vol 2) by Geoffrey Ward |
1989 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
Roosevelt, Theodore |
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Vol I) by Edmund Morris |
1980 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Theodore Rex (Vol II) by Edmund Morris |
2001 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Colonel Roosevelt (Vol III) by Edmund Morris |
2010 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin |
2013 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Power and Responsibility: The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt by William Harbaugh |
1961 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard |
2005 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
Rose, Pete |
Pete Rose: An American Dilemma by Kostya Kennedy |
2014 |
|
Ruth, Babe |
The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth by Leigh Montville |
2006 |
|
Salk, Jonas |
Jonas Salk: A Life by Charlotte DeCroes Jacobs |
2015 |
|
Seward, William |
Seward: Lincoln’s Indispensable Man by Walter Stahr |
2012 |
REVIEW (3½ stars) |
Shakespeare |
Shakespeare: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd |
2005 |
|
Sherman, William |
Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman by Robert O’Connell |
2014 |
|
|
William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country: A Life by James McDonough |
2016 |
|
|
The Scourge of War: The Life of William Tecumseh Sherman by Brian Holden Reid |
2020 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
Sherman: A Soldier’s Passion for Order by John Marszalek |
1992 |
|
|
Sherman: Soldier, Realist, American by B.H. Liddell Hart |
1929 |
|
Sinatra, Frank |
Frank Sinatra: The Chairman by James Kaplan |
2015 |
|
Stalin, Josef |
Stalin: A Political Biography by Isaac Deutscher |
1949 |
|
|
Young Stalin by Simon Montefiore |
2007 |
|
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Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Montefiore |
2004 |
|
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 (Vol 1) by Stephen Kotkin |
2014 |
|
Stanton, Edwin |
Stanton: Lincon’s War Secretary by Walter Stahr |
2017 |
|
Steinbeck, John |
John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography by Jackson Benson |
1990 |
|
Taft, William |
The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin |
2013 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
The Life and Times of William Howard Taft (2 vols) by Henry Pringle |
1939 |
REVIEW (3¼ stars) |
Tecumseh |
Tecumseh: A Life by John Sugden |
1997 |
|
Thatcher, Margaret |
Margaret Thatcher, The Grocer’s Daughter (Vol 1) by John Campbell |
2000 |
|
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Margaret Thatcher, Iron Lady (Vol 2) by John Campbell |
2003 |
|
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Margaret Thatcher: From Grantham to the Faulklands: The Authorized Biography (Vol 1) by Charles Moore |
2013 |
|
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Margaret Thatcher: Everything She Wants: The Authorized Biography (Vol 2) by Charles Moore |
2015 |
|
Thoreau |
Henry Thoreau: A Life of the Mind by Robert Richardson |
1986 |
|
Tolstoy |
Tolstoy by Henri Troyat |
1965 |
|
Truman, Harry |
Truman by David McCullough |
1992 |
|
Twain, Mark |
Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain by Justin Kaplan |
1966 |
|
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Mark Twain: A Life by Ron Powers |
2005 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Vanderbilt, Cornelius |
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T. J. Stiles |
2009 |
|
Warburg (family) |
The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family by Ron Chernow |
1993 |
|
Warren, Earl |
Justice For All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made by Jim Newton |
2006 |
|
Washington, Booker T |
Up From History: The Life of Booker T. Washington by Robert Norrell |
2009 |
|
Washington, George |
Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow |
2010 |
REVIEW (5 stars) |
|
George Washington: The Forge of Experience 1732-1775 (Vol 1) by James Flexner |
1965 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
|
George Washington in the American Revolution 1775-1783 (Vol 2) by James Flexner |
1967 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
George Washington and the New Nation 1783-1793 (Vol 3) by James Flexner |
1970 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
George Washington: Anguish and Farewell 1793-1799 (Vol 4) by James Flexner |
1972 |
REVIEW (4½ stars) |
|
His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis |
2005 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Washington [Harwell’s abridgment of 7-vol series] by Douglas Southall Freeman |
1968 |
REVIEW (3 stars) |
Wayne, John |
John Wayne: American by Randy Roberts |
1995 |
|
|
John Wayne: The Life and Legend by Scott Eyman |
2014 |
|
Webster, Daniel |
Daniel Webster: The Man and His Time by Robert Remini |
1997 |
|
|
The Great Triumvirate: Webster, Clay, and Calhoun by Merrill Peterson |
1987 |
|
Wilde, Oscar |
Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann |
1987 |
|
Williams, Ted |
Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero by Leigh Montville |
2004 |
|
|
The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams by Ben Bradlee Jr. |
2013 |
|
Wilson, Woodrow |
Wilson by A. Scott Berg |
2013 |
REVIEW (4 stars) |
|
Woodrow Wilson: A Biography by August Heckscher |
1991 |
REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
|
Woodrow Wilson: A Biography by John Milton Cooper |
2009 |
REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
Woolf, Virginia |
Virginia Woolf: A Biography by Quentin Bell |
1971 |
|
Wright (brothers) |
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough |
2015 |
Third-party reviews |
Wright, Frank Lloyd |
Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography by Meryle Secrest |
1992 |
|
Deng, Xioping |
Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China by Ezra Vogel |
2011 |
|
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Steve – Another great site! Thank you.
Thanks; I have to give credit to my kids who were looking for a way to learn how to start/manage a website. I (try to) come up with the content and they put it into motion. Now, if only I could get them to each read a biography per week…..!
Excited to hear your thoughts on each of the Lafayette books – I’ve been wanting to read a solid book about him for quite some time. I think you’ll find that the Carnegie book by Nasaw is exceptional.
Isaacson’s bio of Leonardo da Vinci isn’t to be missed.
Dickens by Peter Ackroyd
Henry David Thoreau by Laura Walls
Ernest Hemingway by Dearborn
I loved the presidents site, and was actually thinking of starting my own book review site journey though biographies. You’ve beat me to it good sir! Good on ya.
I have read or in possession twenty-four non-president biographies listed above. Happy reading everyone!
So enjoy your site…thanks for sharing it! I found it last year after deciding to read a biography of each U.S. president along with one of a related person (or event) from the same period.
How about A Prophet with Honor – The Billy Graham Story, by William Martin? Lots of presidential connections there.
Great suggestion – it’s strangely under-reviewed for its age but looks like it has enormous potential.
That’s a lot to be getting on with! If I could make a couple of suggestions I’d add A Certain Idea Of France, Julian Jackson’s recent biography of Charles de Gaulle. Also Jenny Hocking’s two volume biography of Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam is one of the best biographies I’ve ever read, I think. Anyway, thanks a lot for all you do!
Thanks for the suggestions and, particularly, for the geographic diversity they provide! de Gaulle is an extremely familiar name I can’t wait to get to (I’ll definitely check out Jackson’s bio) and Whitlam is a very unfamiliar name I’ll be looking into – – I’m always looking to add biographies that readers categorize as among “the best” they’ve ever read!
No worries! I only wish I could recommend more Australian biographies, but we don’t really have the culture of writing biographies about our prime ministers as the United States has for its presidents (you can imagine how frustrating that is).
Hi Steve, John Bew’s biography of Clement Attlee is very good.
Thanks – that’s one I’m not familiar with but it looks excellent!
Does anyone have a good bio for Queen Elizabeth II? I’m not really interested in the salacious / gossipy type. Just a nice write up, like Julia Baird did with Victoria.
How about this one: https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780007476626/the-queen-elizabeth-ii-and-the-monarchy
What about Prescott Bush? have you read any good bios of him?
What about the Famous lawyer Clarence Darrow or William Jennings Bryan
I’m hoping to stumble across a particularly good biography of William Jennings Bryan…if you know of one please let me know! And, in general, if there is a specific and outstanding biography of *anyone* you know about, I’m all ears!
There are two great reads for WJB. Michael Kazin’s A Godly Hero (2008) is the best biography in my opinion. As for the Scopes Trial, Edward Larson’s Summer for the Gods is excellent – worthy of the Pulitzer it won.
I have a couple of recommendation of prominent Americans about whom you might like to read. I would live to read your reviews on the books and the characters. First is Joseph Smith Junior. Before being assassinated while running for President of the United States, he built what was the largest city in Illinois. He managed to negotiate a city charter that provided Nauvoo with its own army. At the same time Smith was mayor of Nauvoo, Lt. General of the Nauvoo Legion and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The second leader of the same church, Brigham Young, led a huge migration to the Great Basin, colonized parts of 4 or 5 states and resisted the armed attempt of President Buchanan to destroy his people.
Either one would be fascinating to learn about and to review biographies.
Thanks for the suggestions – I’ll have to look into the them.
Hi – been a follower for a long time and am currently on my own presidential biography voyage. Wanted to pass along a couple biographies that I have read recently that I truly enjoyed.
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
Unprecedented Power: Jesse Jones, Capitalism, and the Common Good
Many thanks – I’ll look into these!
One of the best-written biographies I’ve ever read was Samuel Johnson by John Wain (1975). Just so well-written. Some biographies from poets and novelists work better than others (I’m still not too pleased with the purple mountain majesty prose of Carl Sandburg’s Lincoln).
Thanks for the tip – I’ll have to look into it! I still vividly remember being disappointed by Sandburg’s series on LIncoln….
I have over a 100 biographies from Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan to Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher. My library also includes biographies of 18 United States Presidents (cherry picking my favourites). What I find curious is the large number of these biographies which have been published since 2000. Ninety percent!! Many of these biographies are also the “definitive” biography or at least one of the best of that historic figure. Are we in an age of better writers, better research?
Why such excellent and prolific writing over the last twenty years? Any thoughts?
Great questions and I will opine.
The writing seems better because it is contemporary with us. The American Statesmen series from the late 19th century seems quaint now, but it was a great leap forward in scholarship then. Just like in 50 years, our scholarship will seem antiquated.
Centralizing primary source materials has an impact. It is now easier to access the papers of presidents via both electronic means and scholarly publications. There are many “The Papers of …” in process. The completion of the Grant papers sparked a new energy to review his life and presidency.
As for the definitive status, it is probably our lens. Why use version 1.0 when version 3.0 has enhanced, modern features? An author can correct the perceived – or real – failures, omissions or errors of prior authors. It’s the march of progress.
That’s my 2 cents.
How has your actual physical library grown from when you started this journey to now, years later? I always love watching my own library grow over the years.
Funny you should ask… my “shelf space” has doubled in the past few years but the number of books I need shelves for has quadrupled. In addition to something like 400 books/volumes of presidential biographies (which still pales in comparison to some) I have another 325 biographies of non-presidents. Still modest in comparison to some, I’ve simply run out of room. I have books stacked 4′ high in my basement, I have books collecting dust under furniture, I almost have books peering out of the crack between crown molding and the ceiling. But…I know exactly where everything is and I fully intend to read every book I own!
Do you use the space on the shelf behind the books?
I’m impressed with the non-presidential material. Are they across-the-board or focused on certain subjects?
I once used that hidden space but then realized how many books I lost / forgot 🙂 I began “collecting” non-pres bio before I got hooked on the presidents, and once I was on the home-stretch of my presidential journey I started looking ahead and adding to my library of non-presidential books. They are more heavily weighted toward people “related” to the presidents (from Robert Morris and Eleanor Roosevelt to Adolf Hitler) but probably 1/4 of them cover folks like da Vinci, Mark Twain, Copernicus, Lou Gehrig,…
I’ve thinned down my non-Presidential holdings over the past few years to slightly over 100 (excluding a Churchill section). They too are mostly focused on people related to presidents or the presidency. With shelf space at a premium, I needed to weed out some of my ‘nonessential’ holdings.