| George Washington: |
| Washington: A Life () by Ron Chernow | REVIEW (5 stars) |
| Washington: The Indispensable Man () by James Flexner | REVIEW (4 stars) |
| His Excellency: George Washington () by Joseph Ellis | REVIEW (4 stars) |
| Washington by Douglas Southall Freeman (Richard Harwell&#;s abridgment) | REVIEW (3 stars) |
| The Ascent of George Washington () by John Ferling | REVIEW (3 stars) |
| Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation () by Richard Norton Smith | REVIEW (3 stars) |
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| James Flexner&#;s four-volume series: |
| George Washington: The Forge of Experience () | REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
| George Washington in the American Revolution () | REVIEW (4½ stars) |
| George Washington and the New Nation () | REVIEW (4½ stars) |
| George Washington: Anguish and Farewell () | REVIEW (4½ stars) |
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| ***SUMMARY REVIEW: The Best Biographies of George Washington*** |
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| Follow-Up: |
| George Washington: A Biography by Washington Irving (Charles Neider’s abridgment of 5-volume series) |
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| John Adams: |
| John Adams: A Life () by John Ferling | REVIEW (4¾ stars) |
| John Adams () by David McCullough | REVIEW (4½ stars) |
| John Adams () (2 volumes) () by Page Smith | REVIEW (4½ stars) |
| First Family: Abigail and John Adams () by Joseph Ellis | REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
| Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of () by John Ferling | REVIEW (4 stars) |
| Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams () by Joseph Ellis | REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
| John Adams: Party of One () by James Grant | REVIEW (3¾ stars) |
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| ***SUMMARY REVIEW: The Best Biographies of John Adams*** |
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| Follow-Up: |
| Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson () by Gordon Wood |
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| Thomas Jefferson: |
| Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power () by Jon Meacham | REVIEW (4½ stars) |
| Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty () by John Boles | REVIEW (4¼ stars) |
| American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson () by Joseph Ellis | REVI | Adams, Henry | The Last American Aristocrat: The Brilliant Life and Improbable Education of Henry Adams by David S. Brown | | REVIEW (3¾ stars) | | Henry Adams and the Making of America by Garry Wills | | | Adams, John | John Adams: A Life by John Ferling | | REVIEW (4¾ stars) | | John Adams by David McCullough | | REVIEW (4½ stars) | | John Adams () (2 volumes) by Page Smith | | REVIEW (4½ stars) | | Adams, John Quincy | John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit by James Traub | | REVIEW (4¼ stars) | | John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul Nagel | | REVIEW (4 stars) | | Adams, Louisa | Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams by Louisa Thomas | | REVIEW (4½ stars) | | Adams, Sam | Samuel Adams: A Life by Ira Stoll | | | Samuel Adams: Father of the American Revolution by Mark Puls | | | Antoinette, Marie | Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser | | Third-party reviews | | Armstrong, Louis | Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout | | | Arnold, Benedict | Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor by Willard Sterne Randall | | | Arthur, Chester | Gentleman Boss: The Life of Chester Alan Arthur by Thomas Reeves | | REVIEW (3¾ stars) | | Augustine | Augustine of Hippo: A Biography by Peter Brown | | | Augustus | Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy | | | Bach | Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven by John Gardiner | | Third-party reviews | | Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician by Christoph Wolff | | | Baker, James A. | The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III by Peter Baker | | REVIEW (4¼ stars) | | Beecher, Henry Ward | The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate | | REVIEW (3½ stars) | | Beethoven | Beethoven: The Music and the Life by Lewis Lockwood | | | Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph by Jan Swafford | | | Bell, Alexander Graham | Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention by Charlotte Gray | | | Bolívar, Simón | Bol The 30 Best Biographies of All Time Join Discovery, the new community for book loversTrust book recommendations from real people, not robots 🤓 Blog – Posted on Monday, Jan 21 Biographer Richard Holmes once wrote that his work was “a kind of pursuit… writing about the pursuit of that fleeting figure, in such a way as to bring them alive in the present.” At the risk of sounding cliché, the best biographies do exactly this: bring their subjects to life. A great biography isn’t just a laundry list of events that happened to someone. Rather, it should weave a narrative and tell a story in almost the same way a novel does. In this way, biography differs from the rest of nonfiction. All the biographies on this list are just as captivating as excellent novels, if not more so. With that, please enjoy the 30 best biographies of all time — some historical, some recent, but all remarkable, life-giving tributes to their subjects. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great biographies out there, you can also take our second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized biography recommendation 😉 📚 Which biography should you read next? Discover the perfect biography for you. Takes 30 seconds! 1. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia NasarThis biography of esteemed mathematician John Nash was both a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the basis for the award-winning film of the same name. Nasar thoroughly explores Nash’s prestigious career, from his beginnings at MIT to his work at the RAND Corporation — as well the internal battle he waged against schizophrenia, a disorder that nearly derailed his life. 2. Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition by Andrew HodgesHodges’ biography of Alan Turing sheds light on the inner workings of this brilliant mathematician, cryptologist, and computer pioneer. Indeed, despite the title (a nod to his work during WWII), a The 50 Best Biographies of All Time50 Crown The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo, by Tom ReissThe Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo</em>, by Tom Reiss" src="?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=*" width="" height=""> You’re probably familiar with The Count of Monte Cristo, the revenge novel by Alexandre Dumas. But did you know it was based on the life of Dumas’s father, the mixed-race General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, son of a French nobleman and a Haitian slave? Thanks to Reiss’s masterful pacing and plotting, this rip-roaring biography of Thomas-Alexandre reads more like an adventure novel than a work of nonfiction. The Black Count won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in , and it’s only a matter of time before a filmmaker turns it into a big-screen blockbuster. 49 Farrar, Straus and Giroux Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret, by Craig BrownNinety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret</em>, by Craig Brown" src="?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=*" width="" height=""> Few biographies are as genuinely fun to read as this barnburner from the irreverent English critic Craig Brown. Princess Margaret may have been everyone’s favorite character from Netflix’s The Crown, but Brown’s eye for ostentatious details and revelatory insights will help you see why everyone in the s—from Pablo Picasso and Gore Vidal to Peter Sellers and Andy Warhol—was obsessed with her. When book critic Parul Sehgal says that she “ripped through the book with the avidity of Margaret attacking her morning vodka and orange juice,” you know you’re in for a treat. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 48 Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller, by Alec Nevala-LeeInventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller</em>, by Alec Nevala-Lee" src="?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=*" width="" height=""> 100 best biographies of all time Top 10 best biographies Best modern biographies
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