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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 19%
    - An Analytic Journey
    by Judith DuPont
    £19.49

    "I can't tell anyone, so I tell everyone", wrote Frigyes Karinthy1 in one of his poems, lending his voice to all those who hide silently behind their actions before deciding to take up a pen and expose their thoughts. To be able to do this, to "tell everyone", one has to ignore the time-honoured adage: "A secret life is a happy life". But the desire to "have one's say" triumphs over the fear of confronting the world with all its dangers, real or imaginary. A psychoanalyst who undertakes to go over the course of her professional life and presents the ideas connected with it will, of course, revive certain memories. To be able to speak about herself, the analyst, like everyone else, must overcome some resistance. Analytic practice is based on the ability to listen, to remain attentive to the other. However, an analyst can only listen to those who come to him in search of themselves if he listens to himself. Immersion into the patient's past causes his own past to resurface. By changing the internal narration, the analysis makes it possible to carve out a place for oneself in the world. The psychoanalyst chooses this practice out of a desire to understand, but as the author of the present work points out, at times he must also be able to accept his own inability to understand, or the fact that he may misunderstand. The practice of psychoanalysis gives rise to questions formulated in discussions with colleagues.

  • Save 10%
    by Samra Habib
    £8.99

  • by Epictetus
    £7.99

    Although he was born into slavery and endured a permanent physical disability, Epictetus maintained that all people are free to control their lives and to live in harmony with nature. We will always be happy, he argued, if we learn to desire that things should be exactly as they are. After attaining his freedom, Epictetus spent his entire career teaching philosophy and advising a daily regimen of self-examination. His pupil Arrianus later collected and published the master's lecture notes; the Enchiridion, or Manual, is a distillation of Epictetus' teachings and an instructional manual for a tranquil life. Full of practical advice, this work offers guidelines for those seeking contentment as well as for those who have already made some progress in that direction. Translated by George Long.

  • by George Long
    £9.99

    The profundity and spirit of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is brought out superbly in this edition of the Meditations, translated by George Long.All twelve books are present, complete with original footnotes which help to clarify and explain the meanings behind the passages. Since the original text was written in Greek after the spirit of many classical philosophers, an index of Greek terminology is also included at the conclusion for the benefit of the reader. The spirit of Stoicism, whereby Marcus Aurelius details a lifetime spent cultivating good habits, manners, attitude and evenness of temperament are laid out upon these pages evocatively. Many of the pages are thought to have been written at Sirmium, during periods of military planning. It is a strongly autobiographical text; each book focuses upon a different time - from upbringing to youth to maturity. The writing is famously frank, clear and honest - with none of the superiority or pretense one might expect of an Emperor of Rome.

  • by Johann Peter Eckermann
    £10.99

    Aus dem Buch: "Bei seinem großen Interesse für die englische Nation hatte Goethe mich ersucht, die hier anwesenden jungen Engländer ihm nach und nach vorzustellen. Heute um fünf Uhr erwartete er mich mit dem englischen Ingenieuroffizier Herrn H., von welchem ich ihm vorläufig viel Gutes hatte sagen können. Wir gingen also zur bestimmten Stunde hin und wurden durch den Bedienten in ein angenehm erwärmtes Zimmer geführt, wo Goethe in der Regel nachmittags und abends zu sein pflegt. Drei Lichter brannten auf dem Tisch; aber Goethe war nicht darin, wir hörten ihn in dem anstoßenden Saale sprechen. Herr H. sah sich derweile um und bemerkte außer den Gemälden und einer großen Gebirgskarte an den Wänden ein Repositorium mit vielen Mappen, von welchen ich ihm sagte, daß sie viele Handzeichnungen berühmter Meister und Kupferstiche nach den besten Gemälden aller Schulen enthielten, die Goethe im Leben nach und nach gesammelt habe und deren wiederholte Betrachtung ihm Unterhaltung gewähre." Johann Peter Eckermann (1792-1854) war ein deutscher Dichter und enger Vertrauter Goethes. Weniger die Gedichte, die in einem Bande im Jahre 1838 erschienen, als vielmehr die Niederschrift seiner Gespräche mit Goethe in den letzten Jahren seines Lebens haben Johann Peter Eckermann weithin bekannt gemacht und ihm hohe Anerkennung eingebracht.

  • by St Augustine
    £14.99

    This is a unique work from one of the preeminent early leaders of the Christian Church. These are wonderful and inspiring writings of St. Augustine that not only teach us some of the intellectual and theological elements of our faith, but also of the passion.

  • - Lady Gaga - The Graphic Novel
    by C W Cooke
    £9.49

    This new comic series has been featured in "Rolling Stone," "E! Entertainment Television," "Elle Magazine," and thousands of other sites. Is it the costumes? The music? The voice? Maybe it's all that stage blood. Whatever the reason, Lady GaGa has become one of pop music's biggest stars. TidalWave Comics examines the impact Lady GaGa has had on her growing legion of fans. Is there room for everyone in the Haus of GaGa?

  • - Graphic Novel
    by C W Cooke
    £8.49

    It is undeniable the influence Google has had. The company filters into every aspect of our lives-whether we are searching for information, using a map to navigate to a destination, or shopping online. "Sergey Brin and Larry Page: The Creators of Google" introduces readers to the two men that have put the world at our fingertips.As featured on CNN, Time Magazine, People Magazine, LA Times, Forbes, and MSNBC! Orbit is a comic book biography series that focuses on the people that have made a difference in the world! Read about how Google was started in comic book form!

  • - Phenomenon. Enthusiast. Philanthropist.
    by Simon Graf
    £13.99

    Roger Federer's sporting exploits are well-known, but who is the man behind them? This book captures the Federer phenomenon over fifteen thematically arranged chapters. And there's no shortage of anecdotes: the book is as entertaining as Federer's game.

  • Save 15%
    - Seven Years as a Soviet Prisoner of War
    by Adelbert Toll
    £10.99

    Eyewitness account by a German soldier of seven years in Soviet captivity after the Battle of Stalingrad.

  • - The Unauthorized Biography
    by Kate Bennett
    £32.49

    The first behind-the-scenes look at the life of the most enigmatic first lady in United States history, from CNN's East Wing reporter.

  • Save 18%
    - A Memoir
    by Sting
    £11.49

    “Sting’s gift for prose and reverence for language, nearly the equal of his musical gifts, shine on every page. Even when Broken Music addresses the quixotic life of an aspiring rock & roller, it reads like literature from a more rarified time when adults didn’t condescend to the vulgarities of pop culture.” —Rolling StoneHaving been a songwriter most of my life, condensing my ideas and emotions into short rhyming couplets and setting them to music, I had never really considered writing a book. But upon arriving at the reflective age of fifty, I found myself drawn, for the first time, to write long passages that were as stimulating and intriguing to me as any songwriting I had ever done. And so Broken Music began to take shape. It is a book about the early part of my life, from childhood through adolescence, right up to the eve of my success with the Police. It is a story very few people know. I had no interest in writing a traditional autobiographical recitation of everything that’s ever happened to me. Instead I found myself drawn to exploring specific moments, certain people and relationships, and particular events which still resonate powerfully for me as I try to understand the child I was, and the man I became.

  • Save 21%
    - Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams
    by Nick Tosches
    £13.49

    From dealing blackjack in the small-time gangster  town of Steubenville, Ohio, to carousing with the  famous "Rat Pack" in a Hollywood he  called home, Dean Martin lived in a grandstand,  guttering life of booze, broads, and big money. He  rubbed shoulders with the mob, the Kennedys, and  Hollywood''s biggest stars. He was one of America''s  favorite entertainers. But no one really knew him.  Now Nick Tosches reveals the man behind the  image--the dark side of the American dream. It''s a  wild, illuminating, sometimes shocking tale of sex,  ambition, heartaches--and a life lived hard, fast,  and without  apologies.

  • Save 18%
    - The Iconic Roles, Heroic Deeds, and Legendary Life of Meryl Streep
    by Erin Carlson
    £17.99

    A captivating and inspiring portrait of legendary actress Meryl Streep and her work, Queen Meryl explores the fearless icon's trailblazing roles in film, her feminist activism and the indelible mark she's left on pop culture.

  • Save 24%
    - The Band that Dave Made
    by Stevie Chick
    £18.99

    Published to coincide with the twenty-fifth of the band's founding, an insightful and visual look at the rock survivors' journey so far.

  • Save 14%
    - A powerful true story of love and survival
    by Horace Greasley
    £9.49

    The incredible true story of how of one British soldier escaped a prisoner war camp 200 times to see the girl he loved.

  • Save 11%
    by Frederick Douglass
    £7.99

    My Bondage and My Freedom is the second of Frederick Douglass's full-length autobiographies. An important slave autobiography, it is significant both for what it tells us about slave life and about its author.

  • Save 10%
    - The Inside Story of a Chess Genius
    by Carsten Hensel
    £17.99

    Vladimir Kramnik held the title of Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2007. This book tells the remarkable story of Kramnik's top-level clashes, while providing an exciting view behind the scenes of the chess world. Added to this are Kramnik's own comments on some of his most memorable games, as well as numerous colour photographs.

  • Save 23%
    by Christopher Sweeney
    £15.49

    Thomas Gravesen was one of the last footballing mavericks, once dubbed 'a grenade with the pin pulled out'. Hailing from rural Denmark, he fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a top player but never lost his unique identity, earning a reputation for his bizarre antics and eyebrow-raising behaviour. Gravesen lined up for Real Madrid's glamorous Galacticos and enjoyed colourful spells at European giants Hamburg, Everton and Celtic. Remembered as a cult hero at all of his past clubs, he is a truly fascinating individual. After abruptly ending his career and disappearing, he re-emerged years later in bizarre circumstances in Las Vegas. Did he really lose $54 million at cards? Did he really bring dynamite to training, and spend his summers in a dark basement? Known as a 'unicorn' due to his mysterious life, this is a fascinating, helter-skelter journey into the mind of 'Mad Dog'. Team-mates, coaches and friends recount what it was like to be swept up in the surreal whirlwind of the most unorthodox individual they've ever encountered.

  • Save 15%
    - The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy
    by Albert "Prodigy" Johnson
    £10.99

    From one of the greatest rappers of all time, comes a revealing look at the dark side of hip hop's Golden Era.

  • Save 23%
    - The Real Life of Robert Johnson
     
    £15.49

    Up Jumped the Devil will astonish blues fans who thought they knew something about Robert Johnson.

  • Save 19%
    by Morgan Sjogren
    £19.49

    ';Besides drooling over the gorgeous photos, it is guaranteed that you will salivate over the recipes that accompany each adventure and hopefully utilize Morgan's sustainable outdoor cooking tips.' American Trail Running AssociationOutlandish is a sun-soaked starter manual to fueling your own epic, equal parts fuel for the body and food for the soul. In this guide, the canyoneering wordsmith and adventurer Morgan Sjogren shows how outdoor adventure can become your lifestyle. Through her riveting personal stories, flavorful recipes, and the book's gotta-go-there photographs, Sjogren shares her advice and lessons learned from years exploring the desert Southwest while living out of her canary-yellow Jeep Wrangler. Outlandish is a gorgeous guide to a more adventurous life.In Outlandish, Sjogren shows how to sleep better in a car, build a cooking fire, overcome calamity, repurpose bacon grease, leave no trace, sun-dry tomatoes on your car hood, cook food on a hot engine block, and select practical gear for your tailgate kitchen. Equipped with little more than Outlandish, a backpacking stove, a cooler, and a few staple foods, you can seek out your own adventures fueled by Sjogren's inspiring outdoor lifestyle as well as her favorite burritos, dandelion salads, campfire blondies, and prickly pear margaritas.Sjogren offers up dozens of recipes that draw from the places she's beenSedona, Bears Ears, Yosemite, Silverton, Utahand help her tell intoxicating tales of exploration and mishap. There are taco recipes remembered from the highest mountain in Mexico and ';50 Shades of Burritos' with flavors taken from around the Four Corners.This smart and meaningful guide comes straight from the Utah canyon country and deserts of Arizona to share lessons learned from a life lived in wilderness. Sjogren's exhilarating guide will stoke your desire for adventure while offering tools, tips, and tricks that can help you launch your epic.

  • - The Life and Legacy of The Byrds' Gene Clark
    by John Einarson
    £18.99

    MR. TAMBOURINE MAN THE STORY OF THE BYRDS GENE CLARK

  • Save 10%
    by Frank Worrall
    £8.99

    England manager Gareth Southgate's decision to appoint Kane, still just twenty-three years old, as the team captain in 2017 could have been seen as premature, bringing with it pressure that could damage a young player's career. However, he knew that Kane, a modest, humble and inspiring figure was up to the task.Having lost faith in the national team, English fans weren't sure the players would even make it out of their group. No one could have predicted that this young and relatively inexperienced side would achieve their best result since 1990, or that their captain would win the tournament's Golden Boot with six goals. Perhaps most importantly for the team and their manager, they brought the country together to make for an unforgettable summer.While their eventual semi-final loss to Croatia came as a stinging disappointment, this is just the start for the team and their skipper, one of our most exciting players for a generation and a truly world-class English star.In this in-depth biography, bestselling sports writer Frank Worrall traces Kane's journey from an ordinary childhood in north London, growing up just a few miles from White Hart Lane, to the most remarkable tournament of his career.

  • - The Verdict on Henry Kissinger
    by The Jacobin Foundation
    £10.99

    Following the death of Henry Kissinger, his legacy is assessed

  • - The Full German and English Text
    by Adolf Hitler
    £60.99

    For the first time ever, readers can experience both the German and English texts of Mein Kampf in one definitive edition. Both texts are complete with forward by the author. A one-of-a-kind collectors edition book.

  • - An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader
    by Marcela Grad
    £15.49

  • Save 23%
    - A Bloomsbury House & Garden
    by Quentin Bell
    £15.49

    Charleston: A Bloomsbury House & Garden is a fascinating personal account by Quentin Bell and his daughter Virginia Nicholson of the extraordinary Bloomsbury Group country house, its history and the lives of those who lived in it.

  • Save 15%
    by Ulysses S. Grant
    £30.49

    With kaleidoscopic insights, Elizabeth D. Samet has produced the most ambitious edition of Ulysses S. Grant's Memoirs yet.

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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