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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 24%
    by John Little
    £17.49

    Bruce Lee formulated a complex personal philosophy that extolled the virtues of knowledge and total mastery of one's self. This book reveals secrets as: seeing the totality of life and putting things into perspective; understanding the concept of Yin and Yang; and, defeating adversity by adapting to circumstances.

  • Save 20%
    by Amanda Foreman
    £11.99

    Sex, intrigue and adultery in the world of high politics and huge wealth in late eighteenth-century England.

  • Save 11%
    by Paul Kimmage
    £7.99

    A reissue of acclaimed writer Paul Kimmage's classic bestselling sports biography of Tony Cascarino.

  • Save 21%
    by Nicholas Shakespeare
    £13.49

    A biography of Bruce Chatwin, based on private notebooks, diaries, letters and hundreds of interviews. It illuminates the many sides of Chatwin, from Sotheby's director, archaeologist, "Sunday Times" journalist and traveller to devoted husband and active gay, socialite and loner.

  • by Professor Richard Ellmann
    £24.99

    This correspondence provides a balance between the letters of Joyce as a man, and as a writer.

  • - My Tale of Writing, Fighting and Filmmaking
    by Samuel Fuller
    £18.49

    173 B/W PHOTOS

  • Save 10%
    by Gunter Grass
    £8.99

    In this new novel Gunter Grass examines a subject that has long been taboo - the sufferings of the Germans during the Second World War. He explores the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, the deadliest maritime disaster of all time, and the repercussions upon three generations of a German family.

  • Save 20%
    by Martin Luther King Jr
    £11.99

    Timeless, inspiring and universal words of wisdom, this collection features the milestone speeches, including 'I have a dream....', of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the greatest orators of the 20th Century

  • Save 11%
    - My Story
    by Alicia Appleman
    £7.99

  • Save 19%
    by Vladimir Nabokov
    £12.99

    An autobiographical volume which recounts the story of Nabokov's first forty years up to his departure from Europe for America at the outset of World War Two. Written in this writer's characteristically brilliant, mordant style, this book is also a tender record of lost childhood and youth in pre-Revolutionary Russia.

  • Save 15%
    - A Memoir Of Love And Amnesia
    by Deborah Wearing
    £10.99

    As damaged as Clive was, the musical part of his brain seemed unaffected, as was his passionate love for Deborah, his wife. For seven years he was kept in the London hospital where the ambulance first dropped him off, because there was nowhere else for him to go. But she found she could never love another the way she loved Clive.

  • Save 21%
    by Kingsley Amis
    £13.49

    Elegant, provocative and hugely entertaining, Kingsley Amis's memoirs are filled with anecdotes, experiences and portraits of famous friends, family, acquaintances (and a few eminent foes).

  • Save 15%
    by Ray Manzarek
    £10.99

    The Doors were arguably the most important rock-and-roll band of the 1960s, unquestionably a catalyst for American music as we know it. Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison were both UCLA Film School graduates, best friends and rarely apart until Morrison moved to Paris shortly before his death in 1971.

  • Save 14%
    by Johnny Cash
    £9.49

    This fascinating autobiography of the country music legend recounts the highs and lows, the struggles and hard-won triumphs of his remarkable life.

  • Save 19%
    - The True Story of Sidney Reilly
    by Andrew Cook
    £12.99

    Ace of Spies reveals for the first time the true story of Sidney Reilly, the real-life inspiration behind fictional hero James Bond. He was a master spy, a brilliant con man, a charmer, a cad and a lovable rogue who lived on his wits and thrived on danger, using women shamelessly and killing where necessary - and unnecessary.

  • Save 21%
    - From Mercy Killing to Mass Murder
    by Gitta Sereny
    £14.99

    The biography of Franz Stangl, commandant of the Treblinka extermination camp - a classic and utterly compelling study of evilOnly four men commanded Nazi extermination (as opposed to concentration) camps.

  • Save 14%
    by Jane Goodall
    £9.49

    'One of history's most impressive field studies; an instant animal classic' TIME

  • Save 10%
    by William Styron
    £8.99

    This is a story of depression a condition that reduced William Styron from a person enjoying life and success as an acclaimed writer, to a man engulfed and menaced by mental anguish.

  • Save 15%
    by Charles Lamb
    £10.99

    A classic autobiography by the best known Second World War Fleet Air Arm pilot. A story of real life adventure, action and heroism.

  • Save 27%
    - The Story of Seymour Cray and the Technical Wizards Behind the Supercomputer
    by Charles J. Murray
    £23.49

    The SUPERMEN "After a rare speech at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, in 1976, programmers in the audience had suddenly fallen silent when Cray offered to answer questions. He stood there for several minutes, waiting for their queries, but none came.

  • Save 19%
    - Testimony of a Tibetan Prisoner
    by Palden Gyatso
    £12.99

    In 1992 the Venerable Palden Gyatso was released after thirty-three years of imprisonment by Chinese forces in Tibet. This powerful text is the story of his life and irrefutable testimony to the appalling suffering of the Tibetan nation at the hands of the Chinese.

  • Save 11%
    by David Ogilvy
    £33.99

    A unique personality... "Ogilvy, the creative force of modern advertising. " --The New York Times "Ogilvy's sharp, iconoclastic personality has illuminated the industry like no other ad man's. " --Adweek. . an acclaimed author.

  • Save 15%
    - The Biography of Nick Cave
    by Ian Johnston
    £10.99

    This is a biography of musician Nick Cave, from his early days with "The Birthday Party". Charting his career, it explores Cave's idiosyncratic, obsessive lyrical visions, which make no concession to prevailing musical fads. Insights into his turbulent personal life are also given.

  • Save 20%
    - Richard Feynman and Modern Physics
    by James Gleick
    £11.99

    The life of Richard Feynman and the story of modern physics itself.

  • Save 14%
    by Eamon Collins
    £9.49

    'Eamon Collins's book is the most devastating account we have of what actually went on within the IRA during its years of "armed struggle"' Independent on Sunday

  • Save 15%
    by Reinhold Messner
    £14.49

    On 20 August 1980 Reinhold Messner reached the summit of Everest - alone and without the use of oxygen. This is an account of his extraordinary achievement. Messner describes his journey through Tibet and identifies with mountaineers who went before him, such as Mallory, Irvine and Wilson.

  • - The Best-Selling Story of Gulshan Esther
    by Sister Gulshan Esther
    £7.99

    A Muslim girl, imprisoned by her religion and severe disability, is healed and set free by God.

  • Save 21%
    - Warrior, Philosopher, Emperor
    by Frank McLynn
    £13.49

    Marcus Aurelius is the one great figure of antiquity who still speaks to us today, nearly 2,000 years after his death.

  • Save 13%
    - A Lifetime in Music
    by Sergei Bertensson
    £20.99

    An indispensable and captivating document, now back in print!

  • Save 21%
    - Portrait of a President
    by Robert Dallek
    £13.49

    Robert Dallek's brilliant two-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson has received an avalanche of praise. Now Dallek has condensed his two- volume masterpiece into what is surely the finest one-volume biography of Johnson available.

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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