A list of biographies I have read, many of which I enjoyed
If there is one class of books I enjoy reading most, it’s biographies. Given below is a set of biographies I have read, many of which I enjoyed immensely. There are others that were a drag, such as the autobiography of Mussolini, but were rather instructive. As of now, it is just a list. Over time, I hope to write short blurbs about it – depending on how much I remember them now!
- Gandhi
- My experiments with truth
- Biography of Gandhi by Sushila Nair and Pyralal Volumes pertaining to Gandhi’s return to India, Salt satyagraha, Quit India movement, The lull years and the constructive programme, Last phase – I, Last phase – II (total 7 out of 13 volumes). Vol X P – II is the best book I have read in my life
- Satyagraha in South Africa by Gandhi
- “The Gandhi Reader” – Homer A Jack
- Gandhi by Romain Rolland
- Vivekananda
- “Vivekananda” by his eastern and western disciples (2 volumes out of 4)
- Several other biographies
- Ramakrishna
- A book by Ramakrishna mission.
- Lalbhai Kasthuribhai
- “The Dynamics of Tradition” – Dwijendrnath Tripathi
- Lala Shriram
- “Lala Shriram” – Arun Joshi and Kushwant Singh
- Napoleon
- Napoleon by Emil Ludwig
- ‘Bonaparte’ by Corelli Barret
- ‘Napoleon’ by Jean Savant
- Adolf Hitler
- Mein Kempf
- The Mind of Adolf Hitler
- Psychobiography of Hitler
- The war that Hitler won
- The rise and the fall of third Reich
- Martin Luther King
- Two or three bios [I have to retrace the names]
- Sanjay Gandhi
- ‘Sanjay Gandhi’ – Vinodh Mehta
- Bertrand Russel
- “An Autobiography”
- Nelson Mandela
- “The long walk to freedom” – Mandela.
- Nehru
- “Nehru – An autobiography”
- Sardar Patel
- “Patel – A life” by Rajmohan Gandhi
- “The Sardar”
- Vergese Kurian
- “The milkman from Anand” – Kamath
- Mumamad Yunis
- “Banker to the poor” – Md. Yunis
- R K Narayan
- “My Days” by R K Narayan
- My dateless diary by R K Narayan
- Mussolini
- Autobiography
- Prophet Md.
- A biography titled “Muhomed”
- Winston Churchill
- Part I of his biography from his birth to 1921.
- Abe Lincoln
- Lincoln by Dale Carnigie
- “Abraham Lincoln – The Philosophy of commonsense”
- Lincoln: A psycho-biography, by Leon Pierce Clark
- Charlie Chaplin
- “Charles Chaplin: My Autobiography”
- Ambedkar
- “Ambedkar – A life and mission” – Dananjay Kheer
- One other volume in Tamil
- Lee Iacocca
- “Talking Straight”
- Iacocca: An Autobiography (with William Novak)
- David Niven
- “The moon is a balloon”
- Jidu Krishnamurthi
- “Krishnamurti: A Biography “ by Pupul Jayakar
- Biography by Mary Luttyens
- Rajaji
- “Rajaji: A biography” by Rajmohan Gandhi
- Indira Gandhi
- “Indira Gandhi” by Pupul Jaykar
- John Stuart Mills
- Autobiography
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Dear Mr. Vivek,
I actually stumbled upon your blog while searching for Constituent Assembly Debates on the net.
I congratulate you on listing Gandhiji’s auto-biography and other related works on him at the top of your list.
I invite you to read other writings by him(e.g. Self Control vs. Self Indulgence, Gita-according to Gandhi)to further understand and benefit from his legacy.
And further still, I invite you to experience Vipassana(www.vridhamma.org) to truly imbibe the teachings of Gandhiji in your life.
regards
amit mittal