The destination for history
Biography and memoir
Bridging the past and the present, the personal and the universal, biographies provide a tangible link to our past. Bringing history to life through the experiences of the people who have lived it, they are a great opportunity to discover fascinating individuals and to rediscover and reassess characters we think we know well. The first hand accounts in autobiographies always tell a unique story and we gain intimate insights into memories, feelings and emotions through memoirs, diaries and letters.
From William the Conqueror to Jane Austen, and from Genghis Khan to Richard Harris, our biographies bring to life some of history’s most interesting and influential figures. Whether the ruler of a vast empire or the daughter of a country parson, these individuals have, in one way or another, had a profound effect on our world. Some have founded nations or won battles; some have changed the way we think or produced inspirational works; and some have committed crimes that serve as a warning to future generations. Through the lives of these men and women we can gain a better understanding of both our past and our present.
Our biographies, autobiographies and memoirs feature extraordinary stories from remarkable people, whether well-known or seemingly ordinary; discover these unique individuals and read with understanding, empathy, envy and compassion.
Further reading
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Memoir: a personal experience
G.J. Urquhart details the cathartic experience of writing a memoir
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Churchill’s hidden years
Was the ‘unsinkable’ politician unjustly vilified for his role during the Great War?
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10 things you should know about Robert Burns
Facts about the life and work of Scotland’s legendary poet Robert Burns
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Fighting fascists: Battling Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts
How British Jewish ex-servicemen fought fascism on the streets of Britain after WWII
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Travelling the world in a double-decker bus
In 1968 Richard King travelled 54,000 miles to win a bet
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Doris Delevingne: The Mistress of Mayfair
An inter-war temptress and lover of men in high places
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Who was Abraham Lincoln?
The man who kept the United States united
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Mrs Guinness: The rise and fall of Diana Mitford
The fierce independence of the controversial socialite
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From Roald Dahl to George Bernard Shaw: Sheds of famous authors
Sometimes writers need to get away from the world
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Alison Plowden: Historian and biographer
The popular non-fiction author’s legacy
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Alan Turing’s ‘On Computable Numbers’
Turing was a codebreaker, mathematician, and the forefather of modern computing
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Nelson Mandela: Release and reconciliation
The building of a nation?
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The Brontës: Love, jealousy & sibling rivalry
What was the relationship between Charlotte, Emily and Anne really like?
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The beginnings of Bond
Ian Fleming commits pen to paper to write his first spy novel
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Re-examining the life of Anne Frank
Her diary is one of the most famous books of all time, yet the girl who wrote it remains an enigma
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Tsar-crossed lovers? The truth about Nicholas II and ‘Matilda’
A new film about Nicholas II and dancer Mathilde Kschessinka has sparked outrage in Russia
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More change in the village: Farming in the early 20th century
A.G. Street was one of the leading voices of British agriculture
