We a good story
Quick delivery in the UK

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?
Show more
Filter
Filter
Sort bySort Popular
  • Save 21%
    by Henry Thoreau
    £13.49

    In this classic of American literature, Thoreau gives an account of his two years' experience of the 'simple life' in the woods, telling how he sought and found material and spiritual sustenance in the solitude of the cabin which he built for himself on the shore of Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts.

  • Save 19%
    - The Story of a Rock 'n' Roll Band
    by Bill Wyman
    £20.99

    During the height of the Rolling Stones'success, Bill Wyman kept a diary, recoding the churning chaos of the band's creative evolution, power plays, recording sessions, tours, romances, drug busts, and financial disarray. Stone Alone is a meticulous, shrewd and humorous look at the complex personalities of the Stones and the role they played in the startling cultural revolution of the times.

  • Save 21%
    by David Lee Roth
    £13.49

    NOBODY NOTICED, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE G-STRING CAME UNDONE -- WELL, I NOTICED -- NOBODY NOTICED THE MONEY, LIKE, FLOATING AROUND. I WOKE UP AT SOME POINT AROUND DAWN, THE TWO OF THEM WERE ASLEEP, AND ALL THREE OF US WERE COVERED WITH MONEY, EVERY SQUARE INCH OF SKIN HAD A DOLLAR BILL PASTED TO IT -- THERE WAS NOTHING BUT.

  • Save 20%
    - Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman
    by Malidoma Some
    £11.99

    Maliodoma Patrice Some was born in a Dagara Village, however he was soon to be abducted to a Jesuit school, being harshly indoctrinated into European ways of thought and worship. This title tells the story of his return to his people, his hard initiation back into those people, which lead to his desire to convey their knowledge to the world.

  • Save 23%
    by Harry F. Gaugh
    £35.99

    Acclaimed as the definitive volume on artist Franz Kline, this book provides firsthand accounts of his Bohemian life and powerful work.

  • Save 20%
    - The Fate of the Franklin Expedition
    by John Geiger
    £11.99

    The Franklin expedition was not alone in suffering early and unexplained deaths. This title makes the case that this illness was due to the crews' overwhelming reliance on a new technology, namely tinned foods.

  • Save 24%
    by Daniel Paul Schreber
    £17.49

    In 1884, the distinguished German jurist Daniel Paul Schreber suffered the first of a series of mental collapses that would afflict him for the rest of his life. In his madness, the world was revealed to him as an enormous architecture of nerves, dominated by a predatory God. It became clear to Schreber that his personal crisis was implicated in what he called a "crisis in God's realm," one that had transformed the rest of humanity into a race of fantasms. There was only one remedy; as his doctor noted: Schreber "considered himself chosen to redeem the world, and to restore to it the lost state of Blessedness. This, however, he could only do by first being transformed from a man into a woman...."

  • Save 21%
    - The Autobiography of a Blind Hero in the French Resistance
    by Jacques Lusseyran
    £13.49

    The remarkable and moving story of Jacques Lusseyran, a blind French resistance leader who was interned at Buchenwald.

  • by Ned Rorem
    £24.99

    "When The Paris Diary exploded on the scene in 1966 there had never been a book in English quite like it: Its intimate combination of personal, literary, and social insights was unprecedented. Rorem's"

  • Save 15%
    - A Life
    by Richard Williams
    £10.99

    Ferrari, the name itself evokes the world of speed, a world of fast cars, heroic deeds and glamour. This is the story of the man behind the name. This biography goes back to Enzo Ferrari's origins and traces his remarkable rise to prominence.

  • Save 15%
    by Francoise Gilot
    £10.99

    Life With Picasso is a captivating book written by Françoise Gilot. Published by the Little, Brown Book Group in 1990, this masterpiece offers a unique insight into the life and works of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century - Picasso. The book is a mesmerizing blend of biography and art history, as it not only explores Picasso's artistic genius but also his personal life. Gilot, being an artist herself and Picasso's lover for a decade, provides an intimate perspective, making the narrative deeply personal and engaging. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in art, history, or the fascinating life of Picasso. Dive into 'Life With Picasso' and experience the world of art like never before.

  • Save 14%
    by Jean Sasson
    £9.49

    This title is a reissue of a shocking true story of life behind the veil.

  • Save 15%
    - An Intelligence Officer in the Italian Labyrinth
    by Norman Lewis
    £10.99

  • Save 23%
    by Jeremy Renner
    £16.99

  • Save 21%
    by Tony Putman
    £13.49

  • Save 24%
    by Simon Hughes
    £18.99

  • Save 23%
    by Glenn Maxwell
    £15.49

  • Save 14%
    by Leslie Jamison
    £9.49 - 13.49

  • Save 14%
    by Hanif Kureishi
    £9.49 - 14.99

  • Save 22%
    by Seamus O'Rourke
    £13.99

    When actor, playwright and comedian Seamus O'Rourke first published Standing in Gaps in 2020 it found a wide audience amongst readers in rural Ireland. With a distinct talent for seeing the absurd in the ordinary, mundane lives of people who 'had nothing better to be at' and making it hilarious, Standing in Gaps manages to turn back time and transport the reader to a place where everything moved slowly - and in the Leitrim of the '60s, '70s and '80s, that means really slowly.In this memoir about family, people and time, O'Rourke finds diamond-tipped-needles in bales of really bad hay, providing laughter and stories of mayhem for his many fans.

  • Save 10%
    by Caroline Sullivan
    £8.99 - 13.49

  • Save 23%
    by Matt Whyman
    £16.99

  • Save 14%
    by Julie Satow
    £9.49 - 15.49

  • Save 22%
    by Mackenzie Arnold
    £13.99

  • Save 15%
    by Steph Houghton
    £10.99 - 18.99

  • Save 23%
    by David Pleat
    £15.49

  • Save 24%
    by Karen Phillipps
    £18.99

    George Carman QC was, and perhaps still is, Britain's most famous lawyer within living memory. Karen Phillipps presents a portrait of this eminent advocate through the cases that made him famous.

  • Save 24%
    by Hallie Rubenhold
    £18.99

  • Save 14%
    by Katie Price
    £9.49 - 16.99

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. 

Join thousands of book lovers

Sign up to our newsletter and receive discounts and inspiration for your next reading experience.