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Biographies

A good biography invites you into someone else’s life. It takes you on fascinating journeys through the ups and downs of the life of legendary film stars, talented musicians, inspiring athletes, visionary politicians and many more. A good biography lets you get under the skin of your biggest idols, and you feel collected when reading their story - maybe even in the form of their own words. You will find both biographies and autobiographies in Tales’ selection, in addition to diaries and memoirs. So are you ready to be inspired by some of the world’'s most extraordinary individuals?
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  • Save 10%
    by Sara Seager
    £8.99

    In The Smallest Lights in the Universe, MIT astrophysicist Sara Seager interweaves the story of her search for meaning and solace after losing her first husband to cancer, her unflagging search for an Earth-like exoplanet and her unexpected discovery of new love.

  • Save 14%
    by Jonny Owen & Leo Moynihan
    £9.49

    Three of the greatest football clubs: Celtic, Liverpool and Manchester United. Their three greatest managers: Jock Stein, Bill Shankly and Matt Busby.

  • Save 14%
    - What the royal family don't want you to know
    by Norman Baker
    £9.49

    A provocative and timely examination of the royal family's role in contemporary Britain, covering their finances and constitutional role.

  • by Robert L Wicks
    £8.99

  • - A Mountaineer's Tale
    by W. H. Murray
    £14.99

    The Evidence of Things Not Seen is the W.H. Murray's award-winning autobiography. Murray recounts his extraordinary life, from his involvement in WWII to exploratory climbs in the Himalaya.

  • - The story of the 2019 San Francisco 49ers
    by Eric Crocker & Akash Anavarathan
    £14.99

    No one expected the San Francisco 49ers to be in the 2019 Super Bowl. This book tells the gripping story of a a bunch of humble, hard-working and tough-minded overachievers who came together to form a brutal defense and explosive offense, through a 13-3 season and an astounding playoff run.A collective of eight 49ers sportswriters looks at the team's history, roster building, offensive and defensive schemes, and the many characters and stories that these season featured. Nick Bosa planting the flag in Cleveland and skidding on his belly across a soggy Washington field. Kwon Alexander's dominating linebacker play, his torn pectoral muscle and "Legendary" recovery. Raheem Mostert's rise from a punt returner discarded by 6 teams to a dominating running back who gained 220 yards in a single playoff game. Cornerback Richard Sherman's return to his future Hall of Fame form, as he led a group of unknown defensive backs to form the the most dominant secondary in the NFL. Rookie Dre Greenlaw's heroics in both games against Seattle, intercepting Russell Wilson in overtime, then stoning tight end Jacob Hollister at the goal line on 4th down to win first seed in the playoffs. Playoff dominance, leading 27-0 against Green Bay at halftime of the NFC Championship Game, and rushing the Minnesota with six sacks on Kirk Cousins, who had been sacked only 26 times in the previous 16 games.The stories are epic, funny, and unexpected. The 2019 49ers took a wild ride that fans will want to revisit again and again over the years. This book takes you along on that ride.

  • - Selected Thoughts
    by Novalis
    £12.99

  • - Hero of Italian Unification
    by Christopher Hibbert
    £18.99

    Giuseppe Garibaldi was praised for his military genius, his courage, and his charisma. In this landmark biography, Christopher Hibbert reveals how this iconic figure and architect of Italian unification earned the adulation of not only his fellow Italians, but people across the globe.

  • Save 21%
    - Journalling Practices for a sacred and happy life
    by Katie Rose
    £14.99

    Explore your creative truth through the meditations, prompts, prayers, rituals and spiritual practices found within the pages so you can heal your heart, stir your soul and awaken a vision to a new way of living.

  • - Life Is a Narrative
    by Julia Kristeva
    £17.99

    In this volume, based on the series of Alexander Lectures she delivered at the University of Toronto, Julia Kristeva explores the philosophical aspects of Hannah Arendt's work: her understanding of such concepts as language, self, body, political space, and life. Kristeva's aim is to clarify contradictions in Arendt's thought as well as correct misapprehensions about her political and philosophical views.The first two chapters describe how Arendt followed an original conception of human narrative, such that life, action, and even thought, are only human when they can be narrated and thus shared with other persons who, through the evocation of memory, complete the story and make history into a condensed sign, into a revelation of the 'who.' The third chapter concentrates on Arendt's work in relation to her twentieth-century contemporaries, especially Isak Dinesen, Brecht, Kafka, and Nathalie Sarraute. In the last two chapters, on the body and the Kantian concept of judgment, Kristeva offers a subtle critical exploration of Arendt's ignoring of the world of the unconscious opened up by psychoanalysis, an exploration that, paradoxically, reveals the political force of Arendt's acceptance of herself as woman and Jew.Kristeva's account of Arendt's 'philosophy of narrative' is clear, coherent, forceful, and often impassioned. Much has been written in North America about Arendt's political work, but little about her more philosophical endeavours. Hannah Arendt: Life Is a Narrative makes a compelling case that Arendt may be the twentieth century's only true political philosopher.

  • by William T. Hagan
    £14.99

    The son of white captive Cynthia Ann Parker, Quanah Parker rose from able warrior to tribal leader on the Comanche reservation. In this crisp and readable biography, William Hagan presents a well-balanced portrait of Quanah Parker, the chief, and Quanah, the man torn between two worlds.

  • Save 21%
    - My life with Escobar
    by Victoria Eugenia Henao
    £13.49

    **A Sunday Times Book of the Year**The closest you'll ever get to the most infamous drug kingpin in modern history, told by the person who stood by his sideThe story of Pablo Escobar, one of the wealthiest, powerful and violent criminals of all time has fascinated the world.

  • by Oleg Gordievsky
    £16.99

  • - The Autobiography of the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux, with Additional Writings
    by St Therese of Lisieux
    £8.99 - 15.49

  • - Two-Three... Go!: Memoirs of a Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan
    by Wayne Chasson
    £17.49 - 27.49

  • by William De Lange
    £27.99 - 37.99

  • Save 15%
    - Lessons in Life and Lyrics
    by Jermaine Scott a.k.a. Wretch 32
    £10.99

    'Groundbreaking... Part memoir, part guide, this is a must-have.' Independent, Books of the Year'A worthwhile tutorial.' Evening Standard, Books of the YearA revelatory work of non-fiction from one of the most popular and influential British musicians of today: part autobiography, part guide to creativity and part cultural history.What makes a song work? What element causes us to stop, to listen, to listen again? Is it a melody? Is it a beat? Is it the words that are sung, or spoken? Is it what they speak to in us? Is it a combination of all of the above?Wretch 32 is one of the most influential musicians at work in Britain today. He is also a lyricist of unparalleled ability, and an advocate of music as a tool to educate as well as to entertain. In an age of unprecedented social and political change, Wretch s music stands as a medium of protest and of progress, helping to explain and shape a new era. In Rapthology, Wretch provides a lesson in lyric writing, taking us through his own creative process, from the first flashes of inspiration to final edits and improvisation. Rapthology is also an anthology of the songs that have shaped Wretch over the last thirty years, from gospel music to dancehall anthems to the most innovative emerging young voices. Step by step, Wretch explains what each song means to him, why it matters and how it has become so popular, and so powerful. The result is a groundbreaking autobiography, a guidebook to the music that matters, and an insight into the artistic process of one of the most inspiring artists of a generation.

  • by David Brainerd & Jonathan Edwards
    £10.49 - 17.49

  • Save 15%
    - The Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock's Greatest Supergroup
    by David Browne
    £14.49

    The first and most complete narrative biography of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, by acclaimed music journalist and Rolling Stone contributing editor David Browne, in time for the band's 50th anniversary

  • by Madame Jeanne Guyon
    £14.49 - 24.49

  • Save 14%
    by Heather Christle
    £9.49

    Why do we cry? How do we cry? And what does it mean? A scientific, cultural, artistic examination by a young poet on the cusp of motherhood.

  • Save 14%
    by Florence de Changy
    £9.49

    'The affair was weird when seen from afar, but seen in close-up, it was Kafkaesque: it was not possible in 2014 for a Boeing 777 to have simply disappeared...'

  • - the Unique Personal Account of a Yurok Native American Woman of Northern California
    by Lucy Thompson
    £13.99 - 23.49

  • Save 23%
    - The Memoirs of Stalin's Sniper
    by Pegler Martin Pegler & Pavlichenko Lyudmila Pavlichenko
    £15.49

    The wartime memoir of Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a remarkable document: the publication of an English language edition is a significant coup. Pavlichenko was World War II's best scoring sniper and had a varied wartime career that included trips to England and America.In June 1941, when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, she left her university studies, ignored the offer of a position as a nurse, to become one of Soviet Russia's 2000 female snipers.Less than a year later she had 309 recorded kills, including 29 enemy sniper kills. She was withdrawn from active duty after being injured. She was also regarded as a key heroic figure for the war effort.She spoke at rallies in Canada and the US and the folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote a song, 'Killed By A Gun' about her exploits. Her US trip included a tour of the White House with FDR. In November 1942 she visited Coventry and accepted donations of £4,516 from Coventry workers to pay for three X-ray units for the Red Army. She also visited a Birmingham factory as part of her fundraising tour.She never returned to combat but trained other snipers. After the war, she finished her education at Kiev University and began a career as a historian. She died on October 10, 1974 at age 58, and was buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery.

  • by Eric Reese
    £15.49 - 16.49

  • - the Life of a Great Military Commander of the 17th & 18th Centuries
    by G B Malleson
    £14.99 - 24.49

  • - The Authorised History of the British Union of Fascists
    by Richard Reynell Bellamy
    £20.49 - 24.49

  • - Inspiration for Living Free and Strong No Matter What the Challenge
    by JT Mestdagh
    £18.99

  • - A Conversion: How a Conservative Pastor Outgrew the Idea That Homosexuality Is a Sin
    by Dr John H Tyson
    £18.99 - 27.49

Biographies
Biographies books are per definition a collection of someone’s life. That someone is mostly a celebrity and often comes from the world of entertainment for example a famous movie or television star. A good biography lets you under the skin of the subject. Biographies are mostly written by biography authors, who are specialized in capturing the life of another person through research and multiple interviews with both the individual and his or her relatives. The celebrity or icon can also choose to write his or her own story, which is what characterizes an autobiography. An autobiography can - if the writer is good - give you a more intimate picture of the subject. You can both find biographies and autobiographies in Tales’ wide selection of Biographies. 

Biographies best sellers
Tales’ selection contains most of the biographies best sellers. The biographies books are often about celebrities known from film, television or the music industry, but they can also be about inspiring trailblazers from the societal or political world like the biography best seller Becoming about Michelle Obama. The American first lady has inspired many Americans and people around the world. Her and her husband - the first black American first lady and President - made many extraordinary changes in the American society and advocated for more diversity and respect in the American people. Michelle Obama also fights for more equality, especially when it comes to girls and women. Read the inspiring story of how Michelle Obama became one of our times most popular, kind and obliging residents of the White House in her biography Becoming, and let it guide you to finding our own voice. 
Another best seller is Three Women by Lisa Taddeo. Taddeo has written an innovative biography that is a collection of three American women's lives. The biography is an investigation of the female lust in all its complexity. Many women have expressed that they can reflect their own life and feelings of desire in the book. 

Biographies about musicians
Take a look in our selection and find some of the best biographies about musicians. The selection has something for every taste, because you find accounts about musicians from every end of the spectre. Whether you like rock, jazz, classical music, pop or musicals you will find biographies about musicians representing every genre. 
Take for example the autobiography Me Elton John, who has gained extraordinary reviews and success all around the world making the Elton John biography an international best seller. The book is the only official biography made about the iconic musician and singer. Read the incredible and turbulent story about one of our biggest stars to date, and you might learn the secrets behind writing and performing hit after hit.
You can also dive into the fascinating story of the musical legend Julie Andrews. In the biography Home you can read about her journey from London to Broadway stardom. The triple threat is the woman behind legendary roles such as Mary Poppins and Maria from The Sound of Music, and you can follow her journey through Hollywood in the sequel Home Work. Julie Andrews is the writer of her own story and she writes in an intimate and heart-warming narrative. 

Biographies about artists
Are you an art lover, art student or an artist yourself? Then we would recommend you to find inspiration in our biographies about artists. Our collection of biographies contains among others the book Frida Kahlo - A Biography written by Claudia Schaefer. Schaefer gives an introduction to the beloved Latino artist. Frida Kahlo is one of modern times greatest female artists and her surrealist artworks are extraordinary. The biography introduces the reader to her unique form of art - Kahlo did not see herself as a surrealist - but it also gives a look into the artist behind the world famous works of art. If you want to dive into the lives of amazing artists, the story of Kahlo is just one of many wonderful biographies about artists. 

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