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Biographies — page 59
3,074 public-domain biographies books, summarised. Page 59 of 65.
The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 23: English
Giacomo Casanova
In eighteenth-century London, an Italian adventurer finds himself snared by an elusive beauty and the labyrinthine hazards of a foreign metropolis.
A Modern Purgatory
Carlo de Fornaro
A piercing, firsthand account of life inside New York’s early 20th-century penal system, where an artist and revolutionary survives the mechanical cruelty of a society that imprisons its critics.
Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte
Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne
Napoleon Bonaparte’s private secretary records the chaotic downfall of the First Empire, the uneasy second restoration of the Bourbons, and the subsequent fates of the imperial family under Allied occupation.
The Fight for the Argonne: Personal Experiences of a 'Y' Man
William Benjamin West
The firsthand account of a civilian relief worker offers an intimate, grounded perspective on the logistics and the human cost of the American offensive during the final months of the Great War.
The Grey Wave
A. Hamilton (Arthur Hamilton) Gibbs
The soldier’s life in the First World War was defined by long stretches of logistical absurdity punctuated by moments of intense, life-altering violence. This memoir offers a candid, unvarnished look at the transition from civilian to combat officer.
The "Ladies of Llangollen": as Sketched by Many Hands
John Hicklin
Two high-born women abandoned convention to forge a lifelong sanctuary in the Welsh mountains, inspiring generations of curious visitors.
The Life of Stephen A. Douglas
William Gardner
Stephen A. Douglas stands as the most influential yet misunderstood political leader of the turbulent decade preceding the American Civil War.
Battles & Bivouacs: A French soldier's note-book
Jacques Roujon
A soldier’s candid account of the Great War, this narrative eschews heroics to capture the repetitive, muddy, and often absurd reality of life in the French trenches.
"Green Balls"
Paul Bewsher
This is the candid, introspective account of a young Londoner plucked from a quiet life to serve as a night-bomber pilot during the First World War. It captures the strange, detached intensity of early aerial combat.
Memoirs of the Courts of Louis XV and XVI
Mme. Du Hausset
An intimate, fly-on-the-wall account of the French monarchy, this narrative pulls back the curtain on the private anxieties and petty machinations of the Versailles court during the reigns of Louis XV and XVI.
Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days
Annie L. Burton
This account of a life lived through the crucible of American slavery and the subsequent struggle for autonomy offers a rare, intimate perspective on the transition from bondage to freedom. It stands as both a personal memoir and a robust defense of the post-emancipation progress made by African Americans.
One year in Scandinavia : results of the gospel in Denmark and Sweden
Erastus Fairbanks Snow
A nineteenth-century American missionary documents his arduous year establishing a new religious foothold in Denmark and Sweden amidst political unrest, hostile authorities, and personal sacrifice.
A Virginia Girl in the Civil War, 1861-1865: being a record of the actual experiences of the wife of a Confederate officer
Myrta Lockett Avary
In these intimate, vivid recollections, a young Confederate officer’s wife chronicles the humor, heartache, and harrowing logistics of survival during a war that transformed her world.
Between You and Me
Lauder, Harry, Sir
A world-famous entertainer reflects on the lessons of the Great War, urging the "plain folk" of the world to maintain the spirit of unity and sacrifice that emerged from the darkest days of global conflict.
History of the Sixteenth Connecticut Volunteers
B. F. (Bernard F.) Blakeslee
Raw, green recruits leave their Hartford homes, step straight into the fire at Antietam, endure months of bitter campaign labor, and face the horrific trials of Southern prison pens.
Memoirs of the Court of Louis XIV. and of the Regency
Orléans, Charlotte-Elisabeth, duchesse d'
A sharp, unvarnished eye peers through the gilded corridors of Versailles, capturing the intimate scandals and grand political decay of a fading era. These observations offer a rare, unfiltered look at the high-stakes dysfunction defining the inner circle of the French monarchy.
Oration on the Life and Character of Henry Winter Davis
John A. J. (John Angel James) Creswell
The life of a resolute champion for the American Union, framed by the solemnity of a memorial address delivered in the halls of Congress shortly after the Civil War.
Reminiscences of Charles Bradlaugh
G. W. (George William) Foote
A devoted lieutenant records the fierce trials and private warmth of the giant who spearheaded Victorian England’s fight for secularism.
Stories about General Warren, in relation to the fifth of March massacre, and the battle of Bunker Hill
Rebecca Warren Brown
This dual-layered narrative blends a domestic fireside lesson with a stirring historical biography, examining the life and sacrifice of a revolutionary martyr through the eyes of a mother teaching her children.
The Forty-third regiment United States Colored Troops
Jeremiah Marion Mickley
This account serves as both a detailed military chronicle and a passionate argument for the full citizenship of the men who fought for the Union. It captures the essential, often overlooked role of a regiment that helped shape the final victory.
A Day with Ludwig Beethoven
May Byron
A portrait of the legendary composer’s isolated, creative life, this narrative captures the profound struggle of a man who found his greatest joys within the silence of his own mind.
A Narrative of Service with the Third Wisconsin Infantry
Julian Wisner Hinkley
This unvarnished memoir captures the relentless grind of a Civil War infantryman, tracing a long, grueling journey from the muddy Shenandoah Valley to the final collapse of the Confederacy.
Autobiographical Sketches
Annie Besant
The life of a Victorian reformer unfolds here, capturing a woman’s transformation from a sheltered, devout daughter into a defiant, pioneering voice for atheism, birth control, and intellectual freedom.
Company K, Twentieth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry: Roster and Record, April 24, 1861-July 16, 1865
Andrew Brown
One company of Midwestern volunteers leaves home in 1861, fighting through the bloody center of the American Civil War until its survivors return to farm, build, and age across the expanding nation.
Diary of Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
A clerk in the Restoration Navy records the mundane rhythms of 17th-century London, capturing everything from the terror of political upheaval to the simple, human joy of a well-cooked meal.
From Bull Run to Appomattox: A Boy's View
Luther W. (Luther Wesley) Hopkins
This personal account traces the journey of a young Confederate cavalryman, capturing the harsh realities of life on the march and the eventual collapse of the Southern war effort. It serves as a grounded, intimate reflection on the experience of a soldier serving under J.E.B. Stuart and Robert E. Lee.
John Galsworthy
Sheila Kaye-Smith
A study of John Galsworthy’s early career, this work examines how one of the twentieth century’s most representative writers transformed social indignation into disciplined, haunting art.
"Morgan's Men," a Narrative of Personal Experiences
Henry Lane Stone
These recollections of a Kentucky soldier offer a rare, intimate view into the life of a cavalryman fighting for the Confederacy while his own family remained divided by the front lines of the American Civil War.
Narrative of Richard Lee Mason in the Pioneer West, 1819
Richard Lee Mason
A traveler rides west across a changing nation, mapping the rough roads and rougher characters of the American frontier.
The Romance of a Pro-Consul: Being the Personal Life and Memoirs of the Right Hon. Sir George Grey, K.C.B
James Milne
This is an intimate portrait of a Victorian imperial visionary, tracing the long, adventurous life of a man who served as a soldier, explorer, and governor across the British Empire’s vast reach. It captures the essence of a statesman who, while wielding power in distant colonies, remained a restless dreamer…
The Story of Mattie J. Jackson: Her Parentage—Experience of Eighteen years in Slavery—Incidents during the War—Her Escape from Slavery
L. S. (Lucy S.) Thompson
A young woman escapes the brutality of Missouri slavery to find freedom and a future, documenting her journey to secure the education she was long denied. This narrative serves as both a testament to survival and a plea for the intellectual empowerment of those recently liberated.
A Lady's Life on a Farm in Manitoba
M. G. C. (Mary Georgina Caroline) Hall
Two adventurous women abandon their comfortable English lives to embrace the raw, exhausting, and strangely rewarding world of a Manitoba homestead, proving that the frontier demands more grit than ceremony.
Diary of Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
A vibrant, unfiltered window into a seventeenth-century life, these personal records capture the day-to-day existence of a man navigating the bustling, often perilous corridors of power in Restoration London.
Jesus of Nazareth, A Biography, by John Mark
Unknown
A swift and vivid narrative captures a decisive ministry, charting a relentless course from rural miracles toward betrayal, trial, and an empty tomb.
Last Verses
Susan Coolidge
The final collection of a beloved American writer, these poems offer a luminous, meditative look at the transition from life’s active vigor to the quiet, faithful resignation of its closing days.
Recollections of Calcutta for over Half a Century
Montague Massey
This evocative memoir preserves the vanished atmosphere of a colonial city, tracing the physical and social evolution of Calcutta through the eyes of a resident who witnessed over half a century of change.
The Memoirs of Charles H. Cramp
Augustus C. Buell
The life of a preeminent American shipbuilder serves as a lens through which to view the evolution of naval power and the transformation of the United States into a modern maritime nation.
![Cover of Three years in California [1851-54]](https://cdn.myebooksbuy.com/c/three-years-in-california-1851-54-john-david-borthwick.webp)
Three years in California [1851-54]
John David Borthwick
The Gold Rush serves as a chaotic, vivid backdrop for this observant account of a world transformed by sudden wealth and relentless ambition. Through an artist’s eye, the reality of life in the mining camps emerges.
Biographical Outlines: British History
Anonymous
A concise, sweeping survey of British history, this reference work captures the essence of influential lives from the Roman occupation through the Victorian era. It organizes the nation’s past into a progression of notable biographies.
David Morgan, the Welsh Jacobite: a contribution to the history of Jacobitism in Wales
Llewellin, W. (William), active 1811-1841
A forgotten casualty of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, David Morgan emerges from the shadows of history as a man of conviction whose loyalty to the exiled Stuarts led him to the scaffold.
History of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry
R. C. (Richard C.) Rankin
A firsthand, unvarnished account of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, this narrative tracks the regiment’s grueling service across Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia, capturing the raw, day-to-day reality of life in the Union saddle.
Memoirs of Louis XIV and His Court and of the Regency
Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de
In the shadowed hallways of Versailles, a master observer meticulously records the erosion of an absolute monarch’s power and the fragile, frantic dance of those vying to inherit the remains of a sun-king’s legacy.
"Puffing Billy" and the Prize "Rocket"
Helen C. (Helen Cross) Knight
This biographical account traces the rise of the father-and-son engineering team whose locomotives transformed nineteenth-century industry. It is a story of grit, technical ingenuity, and the hard-won triumph of the steam engine over skepticism.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves, Volume VI, Kansas Narratives
United States. Work Projects Administration
The resilience of the human spirit echoes through these firsthand accounts of survival, defining the transition from the crushing weight of enslavement to the hard-won independence of life in Kansas.
Trapped in 'Black Russia': Letters June-November 1915
Ruth Pierce
Caught in the web of wartime bureaucracy, an American woman records the grim realities of the Russian home front as freedom turns into house arrest.
G. A. Selwyn, D.D.: Bishop of New Zealand and Lichfield
Louise Creighton
A portrait of a visionary colonial administrator, this biography traces the life of the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand, a man who dedicated his formidable intellect and physical endurance to the service of an emerging church.
Henry Thoreau, bachelor of nature
Léon Bazalgette
This portrait of an unconventional life captures the restlessness, the prickly intellect, and the profound, unsentimental love for nature that defined a seminal American voice. It is a study of a man who chose to define his own existence rather than be shaped by the machinery of society.
Memoirs of the Courts of Louis XV and XVI
Mme. Du Hausset
The inner chambers of Versailles become a theater of shadows, where the weight of a crumbling monarchy presses against the fragile lives of those who sustain it.