I am just starting Grant by Chernow. What other biographies of historical figures can you suggest? Thanks

Off the top of my head:

David McCullough books - Mornings on Horseback (Theodore Roosevelt), Truman, John Adams, The Wright Brothers

Ron Chernow - Alexander Hamilton, Washington: A Life

Dava Sobel - Galileo's Daughter, A More Perfect Heaven (Copernicus)

Martin Gilbert - Churchill: A Life

The Multivolume set Biography of Churchill

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson

Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick

Manchester's Churchill biography is excellent, but unfortunately he didn't write the third of three volumes before he died.

Daniel Boone by John Mack Faragher
Napolean by Andrew Roberts

Burt Munro Indian Legend of Speed by George Begg
One Good Run, The Legend of Burt Munro by Tim Hanna

Two from Bob Coram. “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War,” and “Double Ace,” Coram’s biography of Col. Robert L Scott, author of the famous “God is My Co-Pilot.”

The Frontersman, tells the true story of Simon Kenton who lived in NW and W Central Ohio Territory in the early 17 hundreds. He actually saved Daniel Boones life once. You can get a copy at Amazon.

American Soldier - Tommy Franks
My War - Andy Rooney
Theodore Roosevelt, A Life - Nathan Miller

Destiny of the Republic:A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. Interesting novel about the brief presidency of James Garfield.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Manchester's Churchill biography is excellent, but unfortunately he didn't write the third of three volumes before he died.

In addition, I really enjoyed Manchester's biography of MacArthur.

Bruce Catton's biography of Grant is outstanding.

I haven't read them yet, but Robert Caro's multi-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson is supposed to be good.