Biography & Autobiography

Stunning reissue of the phenomenal worldwide bestseller: Frank McCourt's sad, funny, bittersweet memoir of growing up in New York in the 30s and in Ireland in the 40s. It is a story of extreme hardship and suffering, in Brooklyn tenements and...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & BEST GARDENING BOOKS OF 2020 - Sunday Times'Every page a joy' NIGEL SLATER'From a very early age I loved the countryside as much as any garden and was fascinated by the life that I saw all around me from trees, wildflowers,...

'I seem to have banged on this year rather more than usual. I make no apology for that, nor am I nervous that it will it make a jot of difference. I shall still be thought to be kindly, cosy and essentially harmless. I am in the pigeon-hole marked 'no...

Reuben, aged 38, was living in a home for adults with learning disabilities. He hadn't established an independent life in the care system and was still struggling to accept that he had Down's syndrome. Depressed and in a fog of anti-depressants, he...

In this bold and exhilarating mix of memoir and writing guide, Melissa Febos tackles the emotional, psychological, and physical work of writing intimately while offering an utterly fresh examination of the storyteller's life and the challenges it...

The philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was almost wholly neglected during his sane life, which came to an abrupt end in 1889. Since then he has been appropriated as an icon by an astonishingly diverse spectrum of people, whose interpretations...

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERStranger Than Kindness is a journey in images and words into the creative world of musician, storyteller and cultural icon Nick Cave.This highly collectable book invites the reader into the innermost core of the creative process...

This book is a lush and beautiful memoir of a very special house and a superb recreation of a bygone era. In 1967, veteran travel writer Eric Newby and his heroic wife Wanda fulfiled their dream of a return to life in the Italian hills where...

Relive the laughter with this definitive book on Morecambe and Wise - the most famous and best-loved British comedy double-act of all time. In this unique book, Eric Morecambe's son Gary sheds new light on the comic geniuses who became the nation's best...

Founding father of the famous monastery on the island of Iona, a site of pilgrimage ever since his death in 597, St Columba was born into one of the ruling families in Ireland at a time of immense expansion for the Irish Church. This account of his life,...

Grace Kelly: The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon is a stunning illustrated biography of style and screen legend Grace Kelly, from internationally renowned fashion illustrator Megan Hess. Oscar-winning actress, muse to one of the greatest directors of...

'For those who fear the worst for the sport they love, this is like cool, clear water for a man dying of thirst. It's barnstorming, coruscating stuff, and as fine a book about the game as you'll read for years' Mail on Sunday'Charming . . . a threnody...

A LOUDER THAN WAR BOOK OF THE YEAR'A unique insight... An excellent companion for both the casual and obsessive Bowie fan'Louder Then WarThe life of an icon, in his own words.David Bowie had a unique relationship with the BBC, making more appearances on...

In Search of Enemies is much more than the story of the only war to be found when the CIA sought to recoup its prestige after the Vietnam debacle. Though no American troops were committed to Angola, only "advisors," many millions were spent, many...

**WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING****WINNER OF THE ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY***Book of the year: The Times, Sunday Times, New Statesman, Spectator, Evening Standard*'Outstanding . . . We still live in the society...

Just two months before the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Judy Melinek began her training as a New York City forensic pathologist. While her husband and their toddler held down the home front, Judy threw herself into the fascinating world of death...

A candid and brilliantly funny memoir......of how a tall, shy youth from Weston-super-Mare went on to become a self-confessed comedy legend.En route, John Cleese describes his nerve-wracking first public appearance at St Peter's Preparatory School at the...

'Richardson writes beautifully about his return to the land, about listening to the soil and about understanding the ancient world.' - The Spectator Each new field is hope, each old one reality.There are things below the surface that pull people together...

*The Sunday Times bestseller*'Wise and witty... The evolution of Higashida's insights is at times almost unbearably moving' Financial Times'The invitation to step inside Higashida's mind is irresistible' Evening StandardNaoki Higashida met international...

In horse racing greatness is defined by speed. Being the second fastest counts for little. You have to win. And win. And keep winning until every challenger of your generation is put to the sword. Of the twelve horses lined up on Newmarket Heath that...

Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon) was one of history's great generals, a man studied by Caesar and Napoleon, among hundreds of others. He was born to the king of Macedon and educated by Aristotle, whose inquiring mind Alexander appreciated...

My part of Ireland had a poet at one time, a poor ragged fellow whom no respectable person whom no respectable person would be seen talking to, but he left doors open as he passed. A delightful autobiographical novel from one of Ireland's best-loved...

Many aspire to serve with the Special Air Service, arguably the world's most prestigious regiment, but few achieve their aim. In this inspiring memoir the author describes how he left school without any qualifications and embarked on a 30 year career...

Comedian and star of The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Ellie Kemper delivers a hilarious and uplifting collection of essays about one pale woman's journey from Midwestern naif to Hollywood semi-celebrity to outrageously reasonable New Yorker.There...

'Simon Woolley revolutionised British politics' - GuardianCan an outsider ever become a member of the establishment?Simon Woolley is a member of the House of Lords, the first Black man to head an Oxbridge college, and a policy changemaker who has the ear...

The greatest orator in Roman history, Marcus Tullius Cicero remained one of the republic's chief supporters throughout his life, guided by profound political beliefs that illuminated his correspondence with both close friends and powerful aristocrats. A...

The electrifying story of India's struggle for independence, told in this classic account (first published in 1975) by two fine journalists who conducted hundreds of interviews with nearly all the surviving participants - from Mountbatten to the...

'Deeply researched and engagingly written' The Times'Has the pace and style of a well-crafted thriller' Mail on Sunday'Chock full of memorable characters and written with all the drama and pace of a Robert Harris thriller' Rowland White, author of...

A classic mountaineering memoir by one of the UK's foremost female climbers.'A story of climbing and compulsive love of mountains ... magnificent' OBSERVERIn 1945, when Gwen Moffat was in her twenties, she deserted from her post as a driver and dispatch...

'From cold cases and serial killers to the death of a spy, Peter's true life story is as gripping as the finest thriller' - Peter James, author of Picture You DeadDiscover the truth beyond the police tape in What Lies Beneath, the arresting memoir of...

Discover the incredible story of one woman's solo journey, from Land's End to the shores of Greece, exploring the unexpected joy of solitude, self-discovery and resilience__________'We have no idea how much resilience there is inside us until we have to...

'A beautifully cut and crafted masterpiece inlaid with insight and polished with the pure joy of nature.’CHRIS PACKHAM, author of Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir'Original. Rare. As beautiful as trees... A masterpiece.'JOHN LEWIS-STEMPEL, author of...

The third book in The Corfu Trilogy (after My Family and Other Animals and Birds, Beasts and Relatives), the beloved books that inspired ITV's television series The Durrells.Just before the Second World War the Durrell family decamped to the glorious,...

THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'As gripping as any thriller. History doesn't get any better than this' BILL BRYSON 'A brilliant read ... Game of Thrones but in the real world' ANTHONY HOROWITZ ...

As we prepare to wave the President out of the White House, commemorate the past four years with this charming introduction to his very important life and his many, many friends - the perfect stocking filler this Christmas._________'When Donald won the...

'A must-read for working women and the men who work with us, love us and support us' Hillary Rodham Clinton'Surprising and compelling' Financial TimesThe much-anticipated and inspiring memoir by Indra Nooyi, the trailblazing former CEO of PepsiCo,...

***Shortlisted for the 2023 Michael Ramsey Prize***What does it mean when God is presented as male?What does it mean when - from our internal assumptions to our shared cultural imaginings - God is presented as white?These are the urgent questions Chine...

Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) is now mostly remembered as a genius of architecture - but he was also an accomplished polymath, who only came to architecture quite late in life. Most famous as the mastermind behind the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral...

**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER****SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD**Uncovering the mystery of her mother's disappearance as a child: Laura Cumming, prize-winning author and art critic, takes a closer look at her family story.'A modern...

An adventure story - with a difference. From sea to summit. Fully soundtracked.'A breathtaking adventure of a truly inspirational woman' - Maxine PeakeJessica Hepburn is an unlikely athlete - she was labelled the 'arty' not the 'sporty' one in school...