Biography Books > R Biography Books > by Title (First Letter)

Advantages: honest, well balanced, written from the heart autobiography
Disadvantages: none

There cannot be many people who have heard of Royston Vasey although his alter ego, Roy "Chubby" Brown is well known to millions and there's no doubt many will have an opinion of him. I would wager that there are few people who sit on the fence where Chubby is concerned. He is very much an acquired taste and never makes any apologies for this. You will either love him or hate him. For the uninitiated, Chubby is a stand up comedian who operates very ...
...times) in terms of his act, which has seen him banned on TV but who has a huge, cult following in both clubland and via his DVD sales. When I saw his book recently on a buy one get one half price offer at WH Smiths I thought I would buy it on the basis there are bound to be one or two laughs within it so thought it a worthwhile purchase to while away some time around the pool on my impending holiday. I was expecting the usual fare that seems to ... Read review

Advantages: Awe Inspiring
Disadvantages: Not for the faint hearted.

Some people may show a slight frown on a Christmas morning when they open an envelope containing a £20 Waterstones gift voucher, sat there amongst a sea of discarded wrapping paper wondering how it came to this. Not me sir. A useful gift, that will be put to good use on broadening my mind as opposed to polluting it with cheap ale. Waited for the sales I did, and got my merry behind down to the famous bookshop, with youthful excitement, and an eagerness ...
...Ranulph Fiennes; adventurer, explorer, military man and athlete. Keen to learn of his exploits and daring quests to be the first, I knew I would not be disappointed. Fiennes is a man's man. Calling a spade a spade, combining his daring pursuits with a natural charm and dose of humbling memoirs makes this exceptional reading. I defy anyone who reads this and then is not inspired to get down to the tent shop, pack a bag and walk to Antarctica. Away ... Read review

Advantages: Compelling, compassionate, fascinating.....
Disadvantages: Shocking....

(please ignore the picture this is a Ciao error) I first learnt about the case of Genie* while I was an undergraduate psychology student learning about the development of language which, as many of you may know, is something which is of great fascination to me. Genie's case, although one of tragic and horrific circumstance, is one of great interest to psychologists as there is almost no other evidence with which to compare. Everything written within ...
...name, her real identity has been hidden for legal reasons. Genie lived 13 years of her life in a Los Angeles suburb with her mother, her father and her older brother. When Genie was one, her Grandmother on her father's side died and they all moved into her old house. Her father insisted they leave his mothers room untouched even though this meant they all had to sleep in the living room. All except Genie who was given the back room. This room wasn't ... Read review

Advantages: Quite interesting
Disadvantages: Only quite interesting

PRICE & PUBLISHER: This hardback is currently for sale for £11.39 new on Amazon, and was published by Little Brown, Sept 2006. 416 pp. It's heavy and gave me wrist ache (ooer missus) so I recommend waiting for the paperback. A GOOD READ? I used to dismiss Everett as yet another floppy-haired posh-boy who can't act, but is very beautiful and excellent at playing upper class roles (ie themselves, usually). This book changed my opinion only in that ...
...and a good writer most of the time. I have not read any of his novels. Everett was born in Norfolk in 1959, son of a Major. After a spell in Hook, Hants, the family moved on to Braintree in Essex and were part of the hunting fraternity. Impressed at an early age by the film "Mary Poppins" he identifies with a couple of the characters and is stirred to perform. A couple of prep schools were followed by admission to the Catholic Ampleforth College ... Read review

Advantages: Introductory essay, clear and concise, beautiful illustrations
Disadvantages: None

...the poet and historian, Robert Southey in 1813. It has been revived and edited by Richard Holmes in a series of biographical books, Flamingo Classic Biographies series, released by HarperCollins on 17th September 2001. The book retails for £7.99. I attended a talk given by Richard Holmes promoting this set of short books (The Life of Nelson is just 300 pages) whilst at the Hay Festival this year. For the Talk, Holmes focused on another biography, ...
...At the time when Southey wrote Nelson’s biography, he was the Poet Laureate. The Life of Nelson was acclaimed as his greatest prose work. Southey meticulously researched his subject to avoid making any technical mistakes. The book is beautifully illustrated with 12 glossy prints of paints including the Battles of The Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar and the Death of Nelson. The front cover is a portrait of Nelson by Hopwood. Richard Holmes embarked ... Read review