A gifted historian portrays the marriage of John and Abigail Adams—"the premier husband-and-wife team in all American history."

An investigation of the life, thought, and wisdom of Michel de Montaigne, inventor of the essay and "the first modern man."

A conversation with Stacy Schiff about her new biography of the woman who once held the fate of the Western world in her hands.

A master biographer goes in pursuit of Joshua Slocum, first solo voyager around the globe and author of the classic Sailing Alone Around the World.

"Far and away the best biography of George Washington ever written," Ron Chernow's life offers a surprising portrait of a man of fierce temper—and tears, too.

A new life of the trailblazing activist and peace advocate who founded Hull House.

A biography of George Price, an enigmatic figure in evolutionary biology—visionary, showman, scientist, gadfly.

Before Saul Alinsky, there was no such thing as a "community organizer."

The familial passions, jealousies, and deceit that swirled around the Belle of Amherst accentuate the rareness of her gifts.

The tumultuous, tragic life and death of the author of Suite Française.

A new book on the life of the controversial writer, teacher, and thinker is a labor of thwarted scholarly love. Read more...

Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was the richest and most successful writer of his time, but his life—as this superlative biography reveals—was a mess.

The creator of Time and Life yearned to stretch beyond words and images and shape the globe.

A new life of the novelist reveals a life of personal struggle held in check by steely wit.

A new book reproduces an extended encounter with an author who fascinated in his art, and his life.