Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with biographies

History blogs

Bleusman — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:02:49 -0800

What are your favorite blogs about history? I've recently had a love affair with history. I love learning about the reasons why people have gone off and done things unfathomable by the modern standpoint. I like to hear about the underdog stories of history, even the times where the underdog was hopelessly crushed. So I'm looking for blogs about history - preferably ones that aren't military-centric - that are written by someone who truly has enthusiasm for history. Interesting stories, reinterpretations of commonly accepted events, and any other history related thing you can think of: I'd like to see some blogs about it.

Previously. But that was two years ago, and we all know the pace of the internet.

Reading on the Campaign Trail

minicloud — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:54:16 -0800

What are some good campaign trail biographies? I'm looking for any interesting read, whether in book form or a series of articles, that follows a candidate for a period of time up to their election, preferably ones where the writer actually accompanied the candidate as they went through the process of running. I'm not only looking for presidential candidates, but any government post at all (senate, congress, local government etc). I know Hunter Thompson is a good place to start, but what else?

Biography series for kids?

whitearrow — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:02:47 -0800

When I was a kid, I remember a series of biographies in the library, either in the kids or YA section. They were short biographies of American figures, and I'm sure I read all the ones with female subjects. Can anyone help identify this series? I'd love to have some of these books for my niece when she's old enough. I definitely remember biographies of Phyllis Wheatley, Louisa Mae Alcott, Abigail Adams, Clara Barton, Juliette Low, and other 18th and 19th century figures.

These weren't picture books. They were straight up prose, definitely for 8 and up.

From Awful to Awesome

divabat — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:25:50 -0800

Are there any stories of people notable/talented/successful in their field who started out being completely crap? Most of the "roads to success" stories I've read involve the person having some form of latent talent at the beginning, or actually having talent but not being appreciated for it. But has there been anyone who was or is currently successful at something that started out being really really bad?

A sportsperson who was a total couch potato and could hardly run, or a painter that couldn't grasp technique, or a dancer that kept stumbling. But through effort and persistence they broke through and became a star.

Any stories along those lines?

Interesting Biographies

netbros — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:37:22 -0800

I will have time for more reading in the coming months. What are the compelling biographies and autobiographies from recent years? I am in the U.S., but would also enjoy reading about interesting international bios (English language). Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Online Biography Resource for 5th Grade?

snsranch — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:47:58 -0800

Any suggestions for online biography resources for 5th graders? My lovely teacher-wife's students will soon be doing research on various people in history. The students are a diverse crowd. The students are researching a wide variety of people from Hymen Rickover to Andy Warhol to Picasso and Houdini.

Sadly Wikipedia and the like can't be accessed from the school and biosforkids.com doesn't quite have the range. Yes, the library is excellent, but for this project we'd like to use the internet.

43 Presidents, 43 Books

fancypants — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:42:00 -0800

What are the best and most readable biographies of each American president? I have decided to embark on a (probably foolish) campaign to read a biography of each and every American president. I ask you hivemind, what are the best biographies for each one? I'm not a historian, so what I'm really looking for is the most accessible readable and informative book on these fellows.

For instance, I have read and enjoyed The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris and Truman by David McCullough. More suggestions in this vein would be greatly appreciated.

Help me make a clever employee bio page.

yogurtisgenocide — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 16:25:26 -0800

I'd like to make an interesting and funny bio web page for the student employees in a college IT department. Can anyone suggest some funny questions to include in the bios? I'd like it to include name, home town, year in school, and all the rest of the normal stuff. I'd also like it to include some silly and completely unrelated questions, like "Can you touch your nose with your tongue?" or "What movie could you watch fifty times in a row?"
Problem: I'm not very clever. Can anyone suggest some funny questions to include in the bios?

Can you recommend a well-written figure skaters bio?

orange swan — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 09:19:53 -0800

Can you recommend a well-written figure skater's autobiography or biography? A lot of athlete bios are commerical drek, and are products rather than books, though there are some thoughtful and intelligent ones here and there. So, if anyone could steer me to one of the latter, I'd be profoundly grateful. I'm reading this as research for a writing project, not for pleasure, and am hoping to find something that is at least painless to read.

Napoleon?

grapefruitmoon — Mon, 16 May 2005 15:12:15 -0800

Has any one read any biographies of Napoleon that they would recommend? The recommendation is for my mother, who is an avid reader of history/biographies, but knows little about the time period.

Great biographies?

pracowity — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 07:14:20 -0800

I want to read great biographies. Which are the best? I want scholarly biographies with reliable sources and footnotes. I am particular to creative people working in the arts or sciences. I don't much care for generals and kings, though a great biographer could change my mind. I want to learn about what they created, not just about where they lived and who they loved. But above all, I want great writing. If there are several biographies of a person, I want to know which are best.

Presidential biographies

NekulturnY — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 06:20:36 -0800

BiograPhilter. While I eagerly await the publication of volume four of Robert A. Caro's 'The Years of Lyndon Johnson', what other biographies do I have to read of American presidents/politicians? Note: I'm not American, so I don't really care much for the founding fathers, or Abe Lincoln's constitutional worries etc. Also, no partizan bitch books or hagiographies, please. The wielding of raw power is what interests me most.

Good European biographies (De Gaulle, Talleyrand, Churchill) are welcomed as well.

Memoir Recommendations

mojohand — Mon, 26 Jul 2004 12:20:31 -0800

My wife likes reading biographies and memoires, particularly of women in culture and the arts. Think "Reading Lolita in Tehran" rather than, say, "Mornings on Horseback." Any recommendations for a birthday present?

Jazz Biopics

lbergstr — Wed, 03 Mar 2004 16:22:11 -0800

Are there good biopics about any of the jazz greats? Or movies focused on the jazz scene? I know there are a ton of documentaries, I'm interested in fictionalized, "shoot the legend" type stuff.