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Posts tagged with ‘Biography’

THE LIVES OF MARGARET FULLER, by John Matteson

April 28, 2012

IMPECCABLY RESEARCHED BIOGRAPHY of the fascinating 19th century American Transcendentalist Margaret Fuller.

Grade: B PLUS

THE LIVES OF MARGARET FULLER: A BIOGRAPHY
W. W. Norton & Company
2012

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SIMON: THE GENIUS IN MY BASEMENT, by Alexander Masters

April 2, 2012

WHIMSICAL BIOGRAPHY OF a quirky, little-known English mathematical genius and public transportation advocate.

Grade: B MINUS

SIMON: THE GENIUS IN MY BASEMENT
Delacorte
2012

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EMMA GOLDMAN: REVOLUTION AS A WAY OF LIFE, by Vivian Gornick

March 29, 2012

VIVID PICTURES OF the revolutionary Emma Goldman shine in a short, beautifully-crafted bio by Vivian Gornick.

Grade: SOLID B

EMMA GOLDMAN: REVOLUTION AS A WAY OF LIFE
Yale University Press
2011

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MARY BOLEYN, by Alison Weir

March 10, 2012

MARY BOLEYN, MISTRESS and later sister-in-law to Henry VIII, is richly envisioned in this adept biography.

Grade: B PLUS

MARY BOLEYN: MISTRESS OF KINGS
Ballantine
2011

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EFFIE, by Suzanne Fagence Cooper

February 22, 2012

FASCINATING BIOGRAPHY, RICH with newly released letters, of Victorian art figure Effie Gray Ruskin Millais.

Grade: B PLUS

EFFIE: THE PASSIONATE LIVES OF EFFIE GRAY, JOHN RUSKIN, AND JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS
St. Martin's
2011

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NOM DE PLUME, by Carmela Ciuraru

November 9, 2011

CHATTY, ENTERTAINING HISTORIES of some of the world’s most famous pseudonymous writers. Gossipy, bookish fun!

Grade: B PLUS

NOM DE PLUME: A (SECRET) HISTORY OF PSEUDONYMS
Harper
2011

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WENDY AND THE LOST BOYS, by Julie Salamon

October 31, 2011

BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BIO of Pulitzer-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein is hampered by its subject’s reserve.

Grade: SOLID B

WENDY AND THE LOST BOYS: THE UNCOMMON LIFE OF WENDY WASSERSTEIN
Penguin
2011

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VIOLETTE NOZIERE, by Sarah Maza

September 20, 2011

A HEADLINE-GRABBING MURDER in 1933 Paris, examined in depth, illuminates the culture and politics of the era.

Grade: B PLUS

VIOLETTE NOZIERE: A STORY OF MURDER IN 1930S PARIS
University of California Press
2011

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NO REGRETS: THE LIFE OF EDITH PIAF, by Carolyn Burke

September 16, 2011

NEWEST EDITH PIAF biography will delight fans of the French singer with the breadth and depth of its research.

Grade: SOLID B

NO REGRETS: THE LIFE OF EDITH PIAF
Knopf Doubleday
2011

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TITANIC THOMPSON: THE MAN WHO BET ON EVERYTHING, by Kevin Cook

June 5, 2011

FASCINATING BIOGRAPHY of the old-time extreme gambler “Titanic” Thompson, inspiration for GUYS AND DOLLS.

Grade: SOLID B

TITANIC THOMPSON: THE MAN WHO BET ON EVERYTHING
W. W. Norton & Company
2010

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