Biography & Autobiography Books

The story of Paul O'Grady's early life in Irish Catholic Birkenhead that started him on the long and winding road from mischievous altar boy to national treasure.

The long-awaited autobiography by the nation's best-loved actress.

The son of a black African father and a white American mother, Obama was only two years old when his father walked out on the family. Many years later, Obama receives a phone call from Nairobi: his father is dead. This sudden news inspires an emotional odyssey for Obama, determined to learn the truth of his father's life.

Dawn French is one of the greatest comedy actresses of our time, with a career that has spanned nearly three decades, encompassing a vast array of characters. This book chronicles the extraordinary rise of Dawn from her early years as an RAF child and her flat-sharing antics with Jennifer Saunders, to her outspoken views on sizism.

Jamie Carragher is one of the most charismatic footballers of his generation. He signed professional terms with Liverpool in 1996, having served a successful apprenticeship, won the FA Youth Cup and played for England Under-21s. This book tells his story.

Sex, intrigue and adultery in the world of high politics and huge wealth in late eighteenth-century England.

A true-life sporting memoir of one of the best batsman in the game who stunned the cricket world when he prematurely ended his own England career. Trescothick's brave and soul-baring account of his mental frailties opens the way to a better understanding of the unique pressures experienced by modern-day professional sportsmen.

Les Cummings was three when he was sent to the Children's Cottage Homes in Portsmouth. A traumatised little boy, he dreamed his mother would come back for him. She never did. Instead he fell victim to the worst abusers and a system that didn't care. This book describes how he came to terms with the terrible legacy of his childhood.

On November 4, 2008, America voted for change. This book records this epic event, featuring footage from campaign photographer Callie Shell, showing the speeches and rallies of Obama's trail, as well as the private, poignant moments of his journey to become America's 44th president.

Charlie's earliest memory at two and a half was listening to his dad batter his latest girlfriend in their Scottish tenement flat. Beaten and tortured by a violent alcoholic father in 70s' poverty-stricken Dundee, Charlie's early life was one of poverty and misery, but at least he had his best friend Bonnie a German shepherd puppy to turn to.

The long-awaited autobiography of one of Britain's national icons.

One fifth of Britain's hottest girl group, super-WAG, X-Factor judge and all round celebrity, Cheryl Cole (nee Tweedy) has been a runaway success since her first appearance on Popstars: The Rivals. This biography looks at Cheryl's life and her whirlwind rise to the top, and why it hasn't always been easy.

Fern Britton has been widely loved as the presenter of Ready Steady Cook , and, co-presenter of This Morning with Philip Schofield . Her warmth and humour, empathy and compassion, have made her feel like a best friend to millions, but no one knows the woman behind the sparkling smile. This title presents her story.

In Amsterdam, in the summer of 1942, the Nazis forced teenager Anne Frank and her family into hiding. For over two years, they, another family and a German dentist lived in a 'secret annexe', fearing discovery. All that time, Anne kept a diary that provides a record of tension and struggle, adolescence and confinement, anger and heartbreak.

Collects some of the most romantic letters in history. This book presents various shades of love, from the exquisite eloquence of Oscar Wilde and the simple devotion of Robert Browning, to the wonderfully modern misery of the Roman Pliny the Younger, losing himself in work to forget how much he misses his beloved wife, Calpurnia.

At the height of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tony Curtis starred in Houdini and Spartacus , and made comedy history with Jack Lemmon in the unforgettable Some Like It Hot . This autobiography describes the people he has known during his long, illustrious career, his co-stars, the studio owners, his wives, his lovers and his friends.

A story of an ordinary man's extraordinary life - one who has outlived six monarchs and twenty-one prime ministers. It captures how life was lived in the Edwardian era and how it was altered irrevocably by the slaughter of millions of young men in the Great War, and by the subsequent coming of the modern age.

An iconic visual celebration of Lewis Hamilton's historic Formula One World Championship winning season, including the story of his life to date and exclusive new words and pictures from a dramatic year. Welcome to the world of Britain's hottest sports celebrity, as told by Lewis himself.

Sir Cliff Richard talks frankly for the first time about his life in showbusiness

The writings of one of the greatest icons of the twentieth century -- revolutionary leader Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. These diaries follow on from the events recorded in the 'Motorcycle Diaries' and recount the experiences that would make Che a figure known around the world.