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Biographies — page 37

2,670 public-domain biographies books, summarised. Page 37 of 56.

Cover of Daniel Defoe

Daniel Defoe

William Minto

This portrait of a restless, endlessly inventive mind examines the turbulent life of the man who mastered the art of the pamphlet and the modern novel.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Henrik Ibsen: A Bibliography of Criticism and Biography with an Index to Characters

Henrik Ibsen: A Bibliography of Criticism and Biography with an Index to Characters

Ina Ten Eyck Firkins

An indispensable road map for navigating nineteenth-century drama, this volume maps the vast critical architecture surrounding one of modern theater's most formidable architects.

Biographies5 min read
Cover of Heroines of Service: Mary Lyon, Alice Freeman Palmer, Clara Barton, Frances Willard, Julia Ward Howe, Anna Shaw, Mary Antin, Alice C. Fletcher, Mary Slessor of Calabar, Madame Curie, Jane Addams

Heroines of Service: Mary Lyon, Alice Freeman Palmer, Clara Barton, Frances Willard, Julia Ward Howe, Anna Shaw, Mary Antin, Alice C. Fletcher, Mary Slessor of Calabar, Madame Curie, Jane Addams

Mary Rosetta Parkman

These profiles of pioneering women celebrate the transition from the secluded domestic sphere to a public life of meaningful, compassionate labor in the service of humanity.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (1 of 2): (2nd ed.) (1888)

Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (1 of 2): (2nd ed.) (1888)

William Henry Hurlbert

Ireland’s political turmoil is viewed through the sharp, skeptical lens of an American observer during the height of the agrarian and nationalist agitations of the late 1880s. This account captures the social fractures and the fierce ideological battle between traditional order and revolutionary change.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Memoirs and Historical Chronicles of the Courts of Europe: Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois, Queen of France, Wife of Henri IV

Memoirs and Historical Chronicles of the Courts of Europe: Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois, Queen of France, Wife of Henri IV

Marguerite, Queen, consort of Henry IV, King of France

These memoirs offer a rare, intimate view into the volatile sixteenth-century French court, as told by a princess caught between shifting religious loyalties and the dangerous ambitions of her royal kin.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Opium Eating: An Autobiographical Sketch by an Habituate

Opium Eating: An Autobiographical Sketch by an Habituate

Anonymous

The path to ruin often begins with a desperate attempt to endure the unendurable, turning a temporary refuge into a lifelong prison.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Personal Memoir of Daniel Drayton, for Four Years and Four Months a Prisoner (for Charity's Sake) in Washington Jail: Including a Narrative of the Voyage and Capture of the Schooner Pearl

Personal Memoir of Daniel Drayton, for Four Years and Four Months a Prisoner (for Charity's Sake) in Washington Jail: Including a Narrative of the Voyage and Capture of the Schooner Pearl

Daniel Drayton

A common man’s conscience becomes a legal firestorm when he helps enslaved people pursue their freedom, leading to years of incarceration in the nation’s capital.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Western Worthies: A Gallery of Biographical and Critical Sketches of West of Scotland Celebrities

Western Worthies: A Gallery of Biographical and Critical Sketches of West of Scotland Celebrities

J. Stephen (James Stephen) Jeans

Nineteenth-century Glasgow thrives through industrial ambition, political debate, scientific breakthroughs, and social reform, as reflected in the lives of its leading public figures.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of A Minstrel in France

A Minstrel in France

Lauder, Harry, Sir

The grief of a father becomes a rallying cry for a nation in this deeply personal account of a world turned upside down by the Great War.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt

Thomas Tapper

Franz Liszt, the child prodigy from Hungary, rose to become the world’s most celebrated pianist, ultimately finding his greatest legacy in his selfless promotion of other composers and his devotion to teaching.

Biographies5 min read
Cover of George Alfred Henty: The Story of an Active Life

George Alfred Henty: The Story of an Active Life

George Manville Fenn

The life of a legendary Victorian storyteller is revealed through his own eyes and the lens of a trusted friend. This biography maps the transition from a restless, globe-trotting war correspondent to a master of historical fiction.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Sir Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott

Richard Holt Hutton

The legacy of a literary giant remains as sturdy as the stone walls of his own creation, yet it is human frailty and indomitable courage that truly define his storied life.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Gallery of Portraits: with Memoirs. Volume 2 (of 7)

The Gallery of Portraits: with Memoirs. Volume 2 (of 7)

Arthur Thomas Malkin

Great minds and ambitious souls take center stage in this curated collection of biographical sketches, tracing the lives of figures who reshaped science, art, statesmanship, and discovery.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of What the Judge Saw: Being Twenty-Five Years in Manchester by One Who Has Done It

What the Judge Saw: Being Twenty-Five Years in Manchester by One Who Has Done It

Parry, Edward Abbott, Sir

A quarter-century in the industrial heart of England offers a vantage point for the keen-eyed, proving that even a life without singular adventure can yield a profound and memorable chronicle.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of William Nelson

William Nelson

Wilson, Daniel, Sir

This account serves as a private memorial and public record, illustrating the life of a dedicated Scottish publisher and civic philanthropist through the lens of a lifelong friendship.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of A Noble Woman: The Life-Story of Edith Cavell

A Noble Woman: The Life-Story of Edith Cavell

Ernest Protheroe

The life and death of a dedicated nurse become a singular rallying cry for a nation at war. Her quiet, unwavering commitment to duty transforms an act of mercy into a symbol of moral defiance.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1

Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The life of a brilliant, restless mind unfolds through the intimate, unvarnished correspondence of a literary giant, revealing the profound humanity behind his towering reputation.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Bygones Worth Remembering, Vol. 2 (of 2)

Bygones Worth Remembering, Vol. 2 (of 2)

George Jacob Holyoake

This reflective memoir offers a panoramic view of nineteenth-century British reform, charting the hard-won progress of the working class through the lens of a principled, lifelong agitator. It is a testament to the power of consistent, secular, and moral advocacy in the face of deep-seated social and legal resistance.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Letters of Alexander von Humboldt to Varnhagen von Ense.: From 1827 to 1858. With extracts from Varnhagen's diaries, and letters of Varnhagen and others to Humboldt

Letters of Alexander von Humboldt to Varnhagen von Ense.: From 1827 to 1858. With extracts from Varnhagen's diaries, and letters of Varnhagen and others to Humboldt

Alexander von Humboldt

A window into the twilight of a brilliant mind, these exchanges capture the daily rhythm, biting wit, and fading optimism of an aging titan observing the changing tides of nineteenth-century Europe.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 3 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of England

Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 3 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of England

Wraxall, Lascelles, Sir

A royal scandal unravels in the shadow of the scaffold, tracing the tragic final years of an English princess exiled by a Danish revolution.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Life of Emanuel Swedenborg: Together with a brief synopsis of his writings, both philosophical and theological

Life of Emanuel Swedenborg: Together with a brief synopsis of his writings, both philosophical and theological

William White

A towering Swedish polymath transitions from the rigors of eighteenth-century mineralogy to the uncharted terrain of spiritual revelation, offering a systematic mapping of the afterlife and the hidden architecture of the human soul.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Memoirs and Posthumous Works of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Vol. 1

Memoirs and Posthumous Works of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Vol. 1

Mary Wollstonecraft

This collection serves as a profound, intimate testament to a brilliant life, capturing both the intellectual rigor and the intense emotional vulnerability of a pioneering thinker. It offers a raw, unvarnished look at the private struggles behind a very public intellect.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, Volume I., Part 2

Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, Volume I., Part 2

William T. (William Tecumseh) Sherman

HOOK This record captures the raw, professional life of a soldier navigating the chaotic machinery of the American Civil War. It offers an unflinching view of high-stakes military leadership from the perspective of one of its architects.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Comanches

The Comanches

Frank M. Myers

This chronicle captures the relentless spirit of a legendary Virginia cavalry battalion, tracing their daring raids, internal struggles, and fading hopes through the brutal, shifting front lines of the American Civil War.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The remains of the late Mrs. Richard Trench

The remains of the late Mrs. Richard Trench

Melesina Chenevix St. George Trench

A sharp-eyed observer of the Napoleonic era, this collection gathers the private reflections of an Englishwoman whose correspondence captures the shifting social landscape of the early nineteenth century with remarkable grace.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of A greater than Napoleon

A greater than Napoleon

Liddell Hart, Basil Henry, Sir

Scipio Africanus, the architect of Rome’s world-dominion, remains the supreme master of the art of generalship, blending tactical innovation with an understanding of grand strategy that outstrips even the military titans of history.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of An Aviator's Field Book: Being the field reports of Oswald Bölcke, from August 1, 1914 to October 28, 1916

An Aviator's Field Book: Being the field reports of Oswald Bölcke, from August 1, 1914 to October 28, 1916

Oswald Boelcke

This collection of field reports offers an intimate, unvarnished look at the birth of aerial combat through the eyes of one of its most pivotal practitioners. It captures the rapid evolution of flight from a simple reconnaissance tool into a lethal instrument of war.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Biographical Memorials of James Oglethorpe: Founder of the Colony of Georgia, in North America

Biographical Memorials of James Oglethorpe: Founder of the Colony of Georgia, in North America

Thaddeus Mason Harris

This account recovers the life of an 18th-century visionary whose singular mission was to carve a new society out of the American wilderness. It is a portrait of a man defined by his unyielding public spirit.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of George Selwyn

George Selwyn

George Augustus Selwyn

This volume offers an intimate, unguarded glimpse into the private life and social sphere of a legendary eighteenth-century wit. Through his own letters, a man once defined by public reputation reveals a surprisingly tender, deeply domestic, and observant human heart.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau

The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

This pioneering autobiography offers a startlingly candid portrait of an Enlightenment thinker’s inner life, tracing the development of a sensitive, complicated spirit from his wandering youth to his eventual literary success.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The Creed of the Old South 1865-1915

The Creed of the Old South 1865-1915

Basil L. (Basil Lanneau) Gildersleeve

The memories of a lost cause endure as a poignant, haunting testament to the convictions of a generation that saw its world dismantled and its allegiances redefined by war.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents: William McKinley

Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents: William McKinley

William McKinley

These formal state papers document the pivot point when an isolationist republic transitioned into a global power, centered on the urgent, escalating crisis of the Spanish-American War.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Henry of Monmouth, Volume 1

Henry of Monmouth, Volume 1

James Endell Tyler

A dedicated recovery of a king’s reputation, this work meticulously dismantles centuries of literary legend to reveal the practical, burdened reality of a young prince tasked with holding a fractured nation together.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny 1857-59: Including the relief, siege, and capture of Lucknow, and the campaigns in Rohilcund and Oude

Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny 1857-59: Including the relief, siege, and capture of Lucknow, and the campaigns in Rohilcund and Oude

William Forbes-Mitchell

A veteran of the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders recounts the harrowing, visceral reality of the 1857 Indian Mutiny from the perspective of a foot soldier rather than a commander.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The battle of the press

The battle of the press

Theophila Carlile Campbell

A relentless publisher spends years in British dungeons for the crime of selling ideas, championing the radical notion that truth is best served by an entirely free and unshackled press.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand, the Renowned Missouri "Bushwacker" and Unconquerable Rob Roy of America: Being his Complete Confession

Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand, the Renowned Missouri "Bushwacker" and Unconquerable Rob Roy of America: Being his Complete Confession

Samuel S. Hildebrand

The life of a Missouri partisan fighter, told in his own words, reveals a jagged path of retribution, loss, and survival. This account provides a harrowing look at the lawless brutality that defined the border-state Civil War.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Brahms and some of his works

Brahms and some of his works

Pitts Sanborn

A portrait of a master at work, this guide traces the evolution of a reserved genius through his most significant orchestral compositions. It captures the quiet determination of a man who transformed his deepest personal struggles into enduring, monumental sound.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of David Livingstone

David Livingstone

C. Silvester (Charles Silvester) Horne

This biography tracks the life of a determined Scottish missionary who ventured into the African interior to reconcile his religious convictions with the grueling realities of exploration and the fight against the slave trade. It serves as an intimate portrait of a man whose singular focus left an indelible mark on…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of In the Shadow of Death

In the Shadow of Death

P. H. (Pieter Hendrick) Kritzinger

The Anglo-Boer War was a conflict of intimate violence, fought over the ownership of a land and the definition of a people. This narrative records that struggle from the perspective of a Boer leader who survived the battlefield only to face the gallows.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Life of Robert Stevenson, Civil Engineer

Life of Robert Stevenson, Civil Engineer

David Stevenson

HOOK This record captures the practical life of a pioneer who tamed the treacherous Scottish coastline through the sheer force of engineering ingenuity and persistent observation.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Sir Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott

George Saintsbury

A thoughtful exploration of a literary titan’s life, tracing his evolution from a curious collector of border traditions to a novelist of international renown and, finally, a man defined by his final, stoic sacrifice.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The story of my struggles: the memoirs of Arminius Vambéry, Volume 1

The story of my struggles: the memoirs of Arminius Vambéry, Volume 1

Ármin Vámbéry

A crippled boy from a destitute Hungarian home transforms himself into a celebrated Orientalist by mastering languages and traversing the dangerous, forbidden heart of Central Asia in the guise of a wandering dervish.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of An American Idyll: The Life of Carleton H. Parker

An American Idyll: The Life of Carleton H. Parker

Cornelia Stratton Parker

This narrative captures the brief, radiant arc of an economist whose profound empathy for the marginalized and deep love for his family defined his work and spirit. It is a testament to a life lived fully, if far too soon extinguished.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Fielding

Fielding

Austin Dobson

This biographical study provides a meticulous, scholarly reassessment of a giant of English literature, stripping away the myths that obscured his life. It is an essential, nuanced portrait for anyone interested in the man behind the prose.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of In and Out of Rebel Prisons

In and Out of Rebel Prisons

A. (Alonzo) Cooper

The story of a captured Union cavalry officer, this memoir recounts the harsh realities of confinement and the restless, daring spirit of men determined to regain their freedom.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Memoir and Correspondence of Caroline Herschel

Memoir and Correspondence of Caroline Herschel

Herschel, John, Mrs.

The tireless assistant to a legendary astronomer, she spent her long life mapping the stars and documenting the history of a scientific dynasty. This account reveals the quiet labor behind the discovery of the heavens.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Pope, His Descent and Family Connections: Facts and Conjectures

Pope, His Descent and Family Connections: Facts and Conjectures

Joseph Hunter

This inquiry into the origins of a literary giant serves as a detective story for the archives, peeling back layers of genealogy to address the persistent rumors surrounding a poet’s social standing. By meticulously cross-referencing wills, parish registers, and local records, the work moves from conjecture toward…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The land of gold

The land of gold

Walter Colton

This journal captures the turbulent birth of California as an American territory, blending the grit of the gold rush with the observations of a man balancing naval duty, law, and local life.

Biographies6 min read
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