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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 15%
    - The Double Life of Emile Griffith
    by Donald McRae
    £10.99

    William Hill prize-winning author Donald McRae's brilliant account of the boxer who broke boxing's biggest taboo

  • Save 21%
    - My Life As the Met's Most Controversial Marksman
    by Tony Long
    £13.49

    Top shot Tony Long is the most prolific police marksman Britain has ever seen. Tony has been behind some of the UK's most controversial police shootings, but it was the death of suspected armed robber and drug dealer Azelle Rodney that brought his career to a devastating end.

  • Save 14%
    - Love in a Second Language
    by Lauren Collins
    £9.49

    A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR `Talking to you in English', he said, `is like touching you with gloves.'

  • Save 20%
    by Vladimir Nabokov
    £11.99

    Awarded as the Guardian Books of the Year 2014, this title tells a forty-six year-long love story.

  • Save 20%
    - Portrait of a Woman
    by Robert K. Massie
    £11.99

    The extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became one of the most powerful women in history.

  • Save 10%
    - David Bowie, The Man Who Changed The World
    by Dylan Jones
    £8.99

    And then there was David Bowie, the uber-freak with the mismatched pupils, the low-tech space face from the planet Sparkle. This was Bowie's third appearance on TOTP but this was the one that properly resonated with its audience, the one that would go on to cause a seismic shift in Zeitgeist. This book tells his story.

  • - They Cruelly Stole My Childhood. Here is My Story of Recovery and Triumph
    by Sarah Preston
    £11.49

    Subjected to extreme abuse from a family 'friend', Sarah turned to her father only to experience the same treatment from him. Utterly devastated, Sarah even started to wonder if she was somehow to blame for this most unforgivable of betrayals and was driven to attempted suicide. This title presents her story.

  • Save 14%
    - Inside Joy Division
    by Peter Hook
    £9.49

    The story of Joy Division told by the band's legendary bassist, Peter Hook

  • - The Story of Lester Young
    by Frank Buchmann-Moller
    £34.49 - 89.99

    A Danish musician here presents the most accurate, comprehensive work on a major figure in American jazz: Lester Willis Young (1909-1959), better known as `Pres' or `Prez,' from the nickname `President' given to him by Billie Holiday.

  • - A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses
    by Peter Piot
    £12.99

    The story of a microbiologist's remarkable career, from identifying the Ebola virus to pioneering AIDS research and policy.

  • - The Public and Private Lives of Billie Burke
    by Grant Hayter-Menzies
    £21.99

    Broadway actress Billie Burke was one of the most sought after young stage beauties of her time, stealing the hearts of Enrico Caruso, Mark Twain, and, most importantly, famed Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld, who became her husband. This book provides the history of Burke's stage, screen, and radio work.

  • Save 14%
    by Mark Bowden
    £9.49

    The bestselling blockbusting story of how American Special Forces hunted down and assassinated the head of the world's biggest cocaine cartel.

  • - The Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin, 1947-1955
    by Anais Nin
    £27.49

    Anais Nin made her reputation through publication of her edited diaries and the carefully constructed persona they presented.

  • Save 24%
    - Napoleon in Power 1799-1815
    by Philip Dwyer
    £18.99

  • Save 14%
    - The Misunderstood Apostle
    by Karen Armstrong
    £9.49

    A fascinating account of the life of St Paul, by the world's foremost religious historian. 'Karen Armstrong is a genius' A. N. Wilson

  • Save 14%
    - A Memoir
    by Gil Scott-Heron
    £9.49

    The mesmerizing posthumous memoir of 'a poet and polemicist whose lyrics have inspired and galvanized generations' GQ

  • Save 14%
    - Gino Bartali - Tour De France Legend and World War Two Hero
    by Andres Mcconnon & Aili McConnon
    £9.49

    ROAD TO VALOUR is the inspiring, against-the-odds story of Gino Bartali, the cyclist who made the greatest comeback in Tour de France history and, between his Tour victories, secretly aided the Italian resistance during World War II

  • Save 10%
    - The Terrifying True Story of a British Girl Forced into the Sex Trade
    by Sophie Hayes
    £8.99

    He'd been her friend for years. He said he loved her. Then she realised she didn't know him at all...

  • Save 15%
    - The True Story of One Woman's Miraculous Survival
    by Juliane Koepcke
    £10.99

    Soon to be a film: Girl Who Fell from the Sky, starring Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner. The amazing true story of the sole survivor of a plane crash and her 11-day trek through the Peruvian rainforest back to civilisation.

  • Save 15%
    - Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year
    by Paul Ferris
    £10.99

    Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year AwardThe Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year The Times Sports Book of the Year Telegraph Football Book of the Year

  • Save 13%
    - How the Koch Brothers Became America's Most Powerful and Private Dynasty
    by Daniel Schulman
    £13.99

  • Save 19%
    - Reflections on Financial Crises
    by Timothy Geithner
    £12.99

    On 26 January, 2009, during the depths of the financial crisis and having just completed five years as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the author was sworn in by President Barack Obama as the seventy-fifth Secretary of the Treasury of the US. This book takes you behind the scenes during the darkest moments of the crisis.

  • Save 14%
    - My Uncensored Life in Rock
    by Sammy Hagar
    £9.49

    Hagar, one of rock music's most successful and notorious singers, tells the story of his life in music--from his raucous solo career to his to his decade-long journey as lead singer for Van Halen and everything in between.

  • Save 20%
    - Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta
    by Marc Morris
    £11.99

    King John is familiar to everyone as the villain from the tales of Robin Hood - greedy, cowardly, despicable and cruel. Was he truly a monster, or a capable ruler cursed by ill luck? This book offers a compelling portrait of an extraordinary king, whose reign marked a momentous turning point in the history of Britain and Europe.

  • Save 15%
    - The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
    by Jon (Author) Krakauer
    £10.99

    Where Men Win Glory is a profoundly eloquent and affecting account of heroism - a millionaire sports star who gave it all up after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, to fight for his country with the US Army in Afghanistan: only to be killed by one of his own platoon. The gripping story of the life and death of a true American hero.

  • Save 10%
    by Sir David Attenborough
    £8.99 - 18.99

    Sir David Attenborough is Britain's best-known natural history film-maker. He is also Britain's most respected and lauded natural history broadcaster and writer, championing conservation and standing at the forefront of issues concerning the planet's declining species. This title tells us of his experiences of filming in the 21st century.

  • Save 21%
    - The Indispensable Intellectual
    by Michael Scammell
    £14.99

    Best known as the author of the classic "Darkness at Noon", Koestler was one of the most influential and controversial intellectuals, involved in and commenting on almost every political movement of the twentieth century. This title gives a full account of Koestler's turbulent private life.

  • Save 21%
    by Ben Phillips Media Limited
    £13.49

  • Save 20%
    by Vassili Zaitsev
    £11.99

    "As a sniper, I've killed more than a few Nazis. I have a passion for observing enemy behavior. You watch a Nazi officer come out of a bunker, acting all high and mighty, ordering his soldiers every which way, and putting on an air of authority. The officer hasn't got the slightest idea that he only has seconds to live." Vassili Zaitsev's account o

  • Save 20%
    - Rodney Scrase DFC
    by Angus Mansfield
    £11.99

    He learnt to fly at a BFTS in America and went on the fly Spitfires with No 72 and No 1 Squadrons, finally being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944.

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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