Best Biographies of 2017

by Walter Isaacson

Totally enthralling, masterful, and passionate, this book should garner serious consideration for a variety of book prizes. Full review >

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by Stephen Kotkin

A well-written, finely detailed installment in a definitive biography—sure to receive many prize nominations this year. Full review >

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by Scott Eyman

An entertaining, richly documented biography that will be appreciated by film and theater scholars as well as fans of these... Full review >

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by Jonathan Eig

An exemplary life of an exemplary man who, despite a few missteps, deserves to be remembered long into the future. Full review >

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by Anthony DeCurtis

Essential reading for Reed fans and strongly recommended for anyone interested in rock as art. Full review >

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by Jed Perl

Not only an essential record of the first 40 years of Calder’s life, but an exceptional chronicle of the genesis of... Full review >

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by Frederick Crews

Impressively well-researched, powerfully written, and definitively damning. Full review >

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by Kenneth Whyte

A thoughtful resurrection of a brilliant man who, aside from the Founding Fathers, did more good before taking office than... Full review >

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by Howard Markel

A superb warts-and-all account of two men whose lives help illuminate the rise of health promotion and the modern food... Full review >

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by Karin Roffman

This incisive, groundbreaking portrait of the enigmatic and influential poet will be indispensable to all future... Full review >

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by Lucy Worsley

A charming, well-researched journey to “Austen-land.” Full review >

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by Laura Dassow Walls

Thoreau has inspired so many esteemed biographies that it's difficult to claim any new one as definitive. However, Walls... Full review >

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by Thomas E. Ricks

A superb account of two men who set standards for defending liberal democracy that remain disturbingly out of reach. Full review >

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by Rüdiger Safranski translated by David Dollenmayer

A penetrating, engrossing biography of a literary giant. Full review >

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by Edmund Gordon

Expansive and lavish, this outstanding biography does much to demythologize Carter, revealing her to be a singular writer of... Full review >

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by Harvey Sachs

Sweeping yet meticulous, appreciative without eschewing critical judgments—like Toscanini himself. Full review >

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by Elizabeth Brown Pryor

Deeply researched, telling moments in the life of arguably the most written-about man in American history. Full review >

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by John Stubbs

A rich and sweeping story superbly told. Full review >

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by Wendy Lesser

A splendid biography that penetrates the inner lives of Kahn’s buildings as well as the inner life of their creator. Full review >

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