This is a selection of history and biography books(with GEMs highlighted). The list includes links for the Wikipedia page and an e-book version (if available). There is also a column called “More info” with links to optional posts on each book.
Note that the list is sortable by each column. (Multiple levels of sorting are possible by sorting more than one column in succession, from lowest to highest.) You can also do an instant filtering of the table by entering a character string in the ‘Search’ field.
There are a variety of books on the list covering a range of subjects, such as the biographies/autobiographies of notable people, historical narratives, and memoirs and travelogues. I’ve always been interested in the life stories of luminaries in various fields as well as the historical settings of various eventful periods of human history. I have selected my personal favorites from the vast number of books that exist in this genre.
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Subject
Year
Category
Author(s)
Title
GEM!
Wiki page
E-book
More
(Bio) Abdul Kalam
1999
Autobiography
Kalam, A. P. J. Abdul (with Tiwari, Arun)
Wings of Fire: An Autobiography
(Bio) Abraham Lincoln
2005
Biography
Goodwin, Doris Kearns
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
(Bio) Albert Einstein
1971
Biography
Clark, Ronald W.
Einstein: The Life and Times
(Bio) Albert Einstein
1972
Biography
Hoffmann, Banesh
Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel
(Bio) Albert Einstein
2007
Biography
Isaacson, Walter
Einstein: His Life and Universe
(Bio) Alexander Hamilton
2004
Biography
Chernow, Ron
Alexander Hamilton
(Bio) Anne Frank
1947
Diary Writings
Frank, Anne
The Diary of a Young Girl (The Diary of Anne Frank)
(Bio) Barack Obama
1995
Memoirs
Obama, Barack
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
(Bio) Benjamin Franklin
1793
Autobiography
Franklin, Benjamin
An Autobiography (aka The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin)
(Bio) Benjamin Franklin
2003
Biography
Isaacson, Walter
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
(Bio) Calcutta
1985
Memoirs
Lapierre, Dominique
The City of Joy
(Bio) DNA Discovery
1968
Memoirs
Watson, James D.
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
(Bio) Frederick Douglass
1845
Autobiography
Douglass, Frederick
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
(Bio) Frontier Life
1849
Memoirs
Parkman, Francis
The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life
(Bio) Helen Keller
1903
Autobiography
Keller, Helen
The Story of My Life
(Bio) Hilton Hotels
1957
Autobiography
Hilton, Conrad
Be My Guest
(Bio) Islamic Iran
2003
Memoirs
Nafisi, Azar
Reading Lolita in Tehran
(Bio) Jawaharlal Nehru
1936
Autobiography
Nehru, Jawaharlal
An Autobiography (aka Toward Freedom)
(Bio) John Madden
1984
Memoirs
Madden, John (with Anderson, Dave)
Hey, Wait a Minute (I Wrote a Book!)
(Bio) Lee Iacocca
1984
Autobiography
Iacocca, Lee (with Novak, William)
Iacocca: An Autobiography
(Bio) Leonardo da Vinci
2017
Biography
Isaacson, Walter
Leonardo da Vinci
(Bio) Mahatma Gandhi
1927
Autobiography
Gandhi, M. K. (Mahatma)
The Story of My Experiments with Truth
(Bio) Mark Twain
1869
Travelogue
Twain, Mark
The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress
(Bio) Maya Angelou
1969
Autobiography
Angelou, Maya
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
(Bio) NYPD/Serpico
1973
Biography
Maas, Peter
Serpico
(Bio) Richard Feynman
1985
Memoirs
Feynman, Richard
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)
(Bio) Robert Noyce
2005
Biography
Berlin, Leslie
The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley
(Bio) Stanley & Livingstone
1872
Autobiography
Stanley, Henry M.
How I Found Livingstone: Travels, Adventures and Discoveries in Central Africa
(Bio) Steve Jobs
2011
Biography
Isaacson, Walter
Steve Jobs
(Bio) Swami Yogananda
1946
Autobiography
Yogananda, Paramahansa
Autobiography of a Yogi
(Bio) T. E. Lawrence
1924
Biography
Thomas, Lowell
With Lawrence in Arabia
(Bio) Travelogue
2006
Travelogue
Gilbert, Elizabeth
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India & Indonesia
(Bio) Various
1956
Short Biographies
Kennedy, John F.
Profiles in Courage
(Bio) Various
1967
Short Biographies
Snow, C. P.
Variety of Men
(Bio) Various
2001
Short Biographies
Mattern, Joanne
Life Stories of 100 American Heroes (Values in Action)
(Bio) Veterinary Experiences
1972
Memoirs
Herriot, James
All Creatures Great and Small
(History) Antarctic Exploration
1959
History
Lansing, Alfred
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
(History) Anthropology
1981
Memoirs
Johanson, Donald & Edey, Maitland
Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind
(History) Black Family History
1976
Family History
Haley, Alex
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
(History) Ebolaviruses
1994
History
Preston, Richard
The Hot Zone
(History) India
1946
History
Nehru, Jawaharlal
The Discovery of India
(History) India
1958
History
Embree, Ainslie T. (Ed.)
Sources of Indian Tradition Volume One: From the Beginning to 1800
(History) India
1958
History
Hay, Stephen (Ed.)
Sources of Indian Tradition Volume Two: Modern India and Pakistan
(History) India
1975
History
Collins, Larry & Lapierre, Dominique
Freedom at Midnight
(History) Lewis & Clark
1814
Journals
Lewis, Meriwether & Clark, William
The Journals of Lewis and Clark
(History) Semiconductors
1985
History
Reid, T. R.
The Chip: How Two Americans Invented the Microchip and Launched a Revolution
(History) Semiconductors
2022
History, Geopolitics
Miller, Chris
Chip War
(History) Silicon Valley
1983
History
Hanson, Dirk
The New Alchemists: Silicon Valley and the Microelectronics Revolution
(History) Silicon Valley
1992
History
Cringely, Robert X.
Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date