Biography & Memoir

The Folio Society’s three-volume set of the journals of Captain Cook from 1768–1779, published to mark the first voyage’s 250th anniversary, is accompanied by a chart of the voyages bound in cloth.

Night is one of the first and one of the greatest Holocaust memoirs. The new Folio Society edition is illustrated with art by survivors and witnesses and is published alongside Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell’s brutally honest account of his experience as a militiaman during the Spanish Civil War. The Folio Society edition is illustrated with 35 black and white photographs sourced from Magnum and Catalan archives.

Blending investigative journalism with the personal approach of a writer both fascinated and appalled by her subject, this is an award-winning portrait of life under ‘one of the most savage surveillance regimes ever known’. With previously unpublished photographs by the author.

The life of Thomas More was one marked by political intrigue, religious unrest and a great shifting of ideologies. In this masterful biography, Peter Ackroyd not only reveals the truth behind history's great 'man for all seasons', but also paints a fascinating portrait of an age that saw cataclysmic change.

Witty, tantalising and illuminating, John Aubrey’s great classic of biography allows a glimpse into a fascinating era, while humanising great figures of history such as Shakespeare, Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes.

James Joyce’s semi-autobiographical first novel, presented as part of the Folio Collectables range.

Nepotism, murder and debauchery abound in this gripping portrait of a family that bribed their way to power in Renaissance Italy. The first illustrated edition, this is designed in series with Hibbert's The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici.

One of the most fascinating women in history, brilliantly re-examined in a stellar biography.

Unique to Folio, this collection explores the genesis of Heart of Darkness, and features an introduction by Conrad expert J. H. Stape and contemporary photographs.

An idyllic existence brought to life in the famously charming diary of Parson Woodforde.

This selection of celebrated essays by Charles Dickens conjures up a peerless, eyewitness account of the 19th-century capital, from the rarefied world of Whitehall to working-class conviviality and blighted slums. 

Paul Brickhill’s account of 617 Squadron's legendary bombing raid is an exhilarating read, showcased in a suitably dramatic red and black binding.

A revealing portrait of one of the most powerful women in history, who remained the subject of scandalous rumour throughout her life and beyond.

John Adams – revolutionist, political theorist. One of four acclaimed biographies of America's Founding Fathers in a superb Folio collection.

An exquisite edition of Dorothy Wordsworth's journal, famous for its nature writing and invaluable insight into the lives of the Romantic poets.

The food memoir that inspired a new way of thinking about what we eat and how we live. Illustrated with 12 pages of black and white photographs chronicling the author's remarkable life.

Written before he became prime minister, Churchill’s canny and witty insights on the great figures of the day remain entertaining and illuminating.

This collection, commissioned by Folio, presents the best of Jefferson’s writings: political correspondence with George Washington, private letters to his wife and his lover, and documents that express his views on everything from America's future to the nature of democracy and slavery.

An inspired biography of the great naturalist and explorer, by the author of the much-loved Aubrey-Maturin novels.

Compiled by award-winning biographer Fred Kaplan, this collection, unique to Folio, brings together the best of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches, letters and articles to give the reader intimate insight into the particular nature of his political and literary genius.

Queen Victoria was 39 when her daughter Vicky left home as the bride of Prince Frederick of Prussia. Edited by Andrew Roberts for The Folio Society, this edition of their extraordinary correspondence provides an unparalleled insight into the lives and times of two queens.

Eric Newby's story of escape and evasion, dedicated to the ordinary Italian people who saved his life, remains funny, vivid and deeply moving.

These autobiographical essays by physicist Richard Feynman show us the formation of a genius. Introduced by Brian Cox.

Chateaubriand requested that his memoirs remain unpublished until after his death lest he be forced to be 'less frank and truthful'. The result is a hugely entertaining autobiography, providing a vivid picture of France during the most tumultuous period of her history.

Now reissued in series with our Austen collection, this biography is an affectionate portrait of one of our best-loved writers, and the time in which she wrote.

An exacting and illuminating dual biography, complemented by colour photographs.

A magnificent, spirited portrait of life as a secret agent in occupied France.