Biographies and memoirs

The Story of My Life is a personal account of Helen Keller's life, from her early days to those as an adult. It includes how she came to meet her teacher Ann Sullivan, and learnt to communicate using the manual alphabet. It then goes on to chronicle her days as a college student. (Summary by Maria)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and ex-slave, Frederick Douglass. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period.

This biography of the noted French physicist Pierre Curie was written by his wife, the renowned physicist Marie Curie. In it, she not only chronicles the scientific accomplishments of her husband, but also provides unique insight into his family life and personality. The book concludes with a four chapter autobiography of the author. - Summary by Ciufi Galeazzi

I should have thought that no preface would have been required to introduce Mrs. Seacole to the British public, or to recommend a book which must, from the circumstances in which the subject of it was placed, be unique in literature.

This "as told to" autobiography of Jules Turnour is based on a popular article that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in 1909. Turnour relates through Marcosson his personal history and that of the circus, both in Europe and the United States.

Franklin wrote his autobiography in the form of an extended letter to his son. While recording the events of his life, he adds instructions for good living which makes this work America’s first “How to Succeed” book. Edited by Frank Woodworth Pine (1869-1919). (Summary by Gary)

This memoirs chronicles Madame Vigée Lebrun's childhood and the early discovery of her talent, the fortuitous break that introduced her to the world of "portraiture of the stars," her expeditious flight from France at the height of the French Revolution, her continued success as a portraitist for the various royal houses of Europe, and her ultimate return to France.

Mary Harris Jones recalls her work as a labor organizer and the struggles of working people. This is a participant’s account of industrial conflict and organizing in the United States.

The Autobiography of Charles Darwin is the autobiography of the British naturalist Charles Darwin which was published in 1887, five years after his death.

Darwin wrote the book, which he entitled Recollections of the Development of my Mind and Character, for his family. He states that he started writing it on about May 28, 1876 and had finished it by August 3.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, written in 1789, is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano. It discusses his time spent in slavery, serving primarily on galleys, documents his attempts at becoming an independent man through his study of the Bible, and his eventual success in gaining his own freedom and in business thereafter.

Einhard was employed by Charlemagne as a court historian. At the request of Charlemagne's son and successor Louis the Pious, he wrote a biography of Charlemagne, the Vita Karoli Magni or Life of Charlemagne (c. 817–830), which provides much direct information about Charlemagne's life and character.

These Reminiscences were written and published by the Author in his fiftieth year, shortly before he started on a trip to Europe and America for his failing health in 1912. It was in the course of this trip that he wrote for the first time in the English language for publication. (from preface)

A fascinating account of the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. She writes of her struggles in being accepted to a medical school (at one point she is advised to disguise herself as a male).

Charles Alexander Eastman recalls his Dakota childhood through family teaching, outdoor skills, games and oral tradition. The memoir includes experiences of danger, learning and communal life.

Lytton Strachey’s first great success, and his most famous achievement, was "Eminent Victorians" (1918), a collection of four short biographies of Victorian heroes. With a dry wit, he exposed the human failings of his subjects and what he saw as the hypocrisy at the centre of Victorian morality. This work was followed in the same style by "Queen Victoria" (1921). (Summary from Wikipedia)

Harriet Jacobs' autobiography, written under the pseudonym Linda Brent, details her experiences as a slave in North Carolina, her escape to freedom in the north, and her ensuing struggles to free her children. The narrative was partly serialized in the New York Tribune, but was discontinued because Jacobs' depictions of the sexual abuse of female slaves were considered too shocking.

Mozart’s earthly career was so poignantly short yet so filled with incalculable achievement that the author of this booklet finds himself confronted with an impossible task.

My Life in China and America by Yung Wing is more than a memoir — it’s a firsthand account of a life lived between worlds at a pivotal moment in history. Widely considered the first major Chinese American autobiography, and one of the earliest works of Asian American literature, it offers a rare and deeply personal perspective on identity, immigration, and cultural exchange.

The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp is an autobiography published in 1908 by the Welsh poet and writer W. H. Davies (1871–1940). A large part of the book's subject matter describes the way of life of the tramp in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States in the final decade of the 19th century.

Confessions (Latin: Confessiones) is the name of an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by St. Augustine of Hippo, written between AD 397 and AD 398. Modern English translations of it are sometimes published under the title The Confessions of St. Augustine in order to distinguish the book from other books with similar titles, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions. (Summary by Wikipedia)