Secondhand Biographies

When social distancing is over, can people still keep their distance?I only do the things I like now, rather than the things I should - is that alright?And these days,...

This is a biography of Napoleon III who ruled over 18 years of glittering success in France known as the Second Empire. Modern Paris was created out of its medieval...

** BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 29 JUNE - 3 JULY 2020 READ BY SANJEEV BHASKAR (GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME, THE KUMARS AT NO. 42 AND MORE) ** 'Enthralling...

This is a remarkably honest and moving account of fathering over the past century, with a particular focus on Richard Madeley's own turbulent family history.Richard Madeley is fascinated by the...

TELEGRAPH 50 BEST BOOKS OF 2022THE UNTOLD STORY OF PRINCESS DIANA'S STEPMOTHER 'A sparkling biography of a fascinating woman' - Lynn Barber, Telegraph ***** 'Gaudoin's book is revealing and hugely...

Afghanistan: Parvana's father is arrested and taken away by the Taliban solders. Under Taliban law, women and girls are not allowed to leave home. Parvana, her mother and sisters must...

From the Number One Bestsellign author of UGLY Despite her mother's constant physical and psychological abuse, Constance Briscoe has gained a place at Newcastle University to study law - a...

An award-winning poet and former infantry team leader in Iraq, Brian Turner combines his devastating recollections as "Sergeant Turner" with his visions of the experiences of generations of warriors in...

While Felicia Pearson is a brilliant actor in a truly chilling role, what's most remarkable about 'Snoop' is what she has overcome in real life. Born a three-pound, cross-eyed crack...

You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs: You've seen him on the street, in bars, on the train, at restaurants: a twenty-something guy, nice suit, works in...

Separated from her brother Bryan, and passed from caretaker to caretaker, Jenny discovers -- as she rebels her way through high school and into adulthood -- that the past can...

Born in 1786, by the time she was 15 years old, Harriette Wilson was well on her way to becoming Regency London's most sought-after courtesan. She counted amongst her conquests...

While wide awake in the middle of the night (welcome to menopause!), Amy Ferris began chronicling every one of her funny, sad, hysterical, down and dirty, and raw to the...

Beautiful and charismatic, the daughter of one of Pakistan's most popular leaders -- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, hanged by General Zia in 1979 -- Benazir Bhutto is not only the first...

In Eccentric Wealth, Alastair Scott traces the life of Lancashire industrialist Sir George Bullough in this absorbing biography which explores his family's connection with the Hebridean island of Rum, particularly...

Like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi is an iconic figure, and the best-known prisoner of conscience alive today. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize...

This is Esther William's witty autobiography, all about an 18-year-old girl who reluctantly answers the call of MGM and finds herself launched in a career that lasted almost 20 years.

Now a Netflix original series! Unorthodox is the bestselling memoir of a young Jewish woman's escape from a religious sect, in the tradition of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel and Carolyn...

This is an extraordinary account of one man's experiences of mental illness and institutions: a rare insight into a hidden world.John O'Donoghue was first admitted to Claybury asylum with manic...

'Extraordinary . . . a profound and beautiful book . . . a moving meditation on grief and loss, but also a sparky celebration of joy, wonder and the miracle...

'Highly engaging . . . The creeping escalation of oppression and rebellion is often thrillingly told . . . A powerful story of a history that remains far from settled'...

Gilda O'Neill's The East End traces the East End of London - cockneys, criminals, street markets, pub singalongs, dog racing, jellied eels. London's East End it is a place at...

'A triumph. Frankly is the most insightful and stylishly open memoir by a politician since Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father'Andrew O'Hagan'Nicola Sturgeon tells her remarkable story with great skill...

When Edwina Ashley, god-daughter of Edward VII, came out in 1920 she was the most intriguing and intelligent of the debutantes of her day. When her grandfather, Sir Ernest Cassell,...

The first joint biography of the Duke and Duchess of York and the first full biography of either of them, by renowned royal biographer and literary agent, Andrew Lownie. Drawing...

The Life and Adventures of John Nicol, Mariner is a recently rediscovered text that vividly renders the unforgettable story of a man whom history had nearly forgotten.In his many voyages,...

An idea came to Simon Cowell one night as he watched an episode of The Sopranos. Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman were providing the background music singing 'Time to Say...