Biographies

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Whether you're interested in celebrities, sports stars or royals, we've got you covered with our massive range of Biographies. You can read some of the stories behind the stars with our selection below. Just use the filters below to find the perfect biography book for you or a loved one.

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'When I see something old, that I think is beautiful, special, valuable, it's not about the money. It's about being in another time and place.' Star of TV's Salvage Hunters, Drew Pritchard will go to the greatest lengths for the best deals. He discovered the casts Lord Elgin made of his infamous marbles in a school garage, and broke the bank to buy the tool box Malcolm Campbell used when he set the water speed record in 1934. He made a million. Lost it. And made it again. The face of the compulsively fascinating business of finding and restoring lost treasures, visionary Drew takes us up and down the country, into garages, factories, schools and pubs, digging out incredible items from that 'other time and place'. Then by lovingly restoring them, he brings our history back to life. A flat cap among silver spoons and old school ties, our favourite no-bullshit expert may be a one-off, but his story makes us all dream of that obscure piece of antiquity gathering dust in the garden shed... Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529953596 • Author: Drew Pritchard • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 288 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 19 x 1.26cm

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£2.50 RRP £14.99 Save £12.49 (83% Off RRP)

Think of this memoir as a Christmas special in book form, from someone who has been involved in a few of those and understands a bit about the concept. But a Christmas special very much like Only Fools and Horses, in the sense that the stories will be always heading outwards, ranging far and wide and well beyond the traditional festive gags involving giblets left in turkeys. As I sift through various festive-related episodes in my career, loosening the ribbons, parting the wrapping paper, I'll be doing my best to reach any relevant conclusions about life, work and the meaning of it all that I can usefully pass on to you - baubles of wisdom if you like. Or certainly baubles. You'll learn why I have the perfect face to play Scrooge. And if you're lucky I'll also share what it's like to fly in a helicopter with my old mucker Tom Cruise. Merry Christmas, you plonkers. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804955550 • Author: David Jason • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.1cm

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£2.50 RRP £258.00 Save £255.50 (99% Off RRP)

THE UK'S NO.1 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING TRUE CRIME AUTHOR - A PETRIFYING GLIMPSE INTO THE MOST EVIL MINDS OF OUR TIME... Christopher Berry-Dee is the man who talks to serial killers. A world-renowned investigative criminologist, he has gained the trust of murderers across the world, entered their high security prisons, and discussed in detail their shocking crimes. The killers' pursuit of horror and violence is described through the unique audiotape and videotape interviews which Berry-Dee conducted, deep inside the bowels of some of the world's toughest prisons. Christopher Berry-Dee has collated these interviews into this astounding, disturbing book, which, since its first publication, has gone on to become a True Crime classic. Not only does he describe his meetings with some of the world's most evil men and women, he also reproduces, verbatim, their very words as they describe their crimes, allowing the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of the people who have committed the worst crime possible- to mercilessly take the life of another human being. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781789468045 • Author: Christopher Berry-Dee • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 368

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For over 150 years, Broadmoor has contained the UK's most violent, notoriously psychopathic criminals known. Since 1863, Broadmoor opened as an asylum and has housed perpetrators of some of the most dangerous and outrageous crimes in history - from Jack the Ripper suspect James Kelly , armed robber Charles Bronson, gangster Ronnie Kray and cannibal Peter Bryan. The mysterious happenings behind these walls has been unknown until now. Jonathon Levi and cultural historian Emma French paint the scene at Broadmoor after spending nearly a decade speaking and observing those inside. With various exclusive interviews, Inside Broadmoor is the full story into the minds of Britain's most violent and how they are treated. Product Information: ISBN: 9781788700948 Author: Jonathon Levi & Emma French Publisher: Blink Publishing Format: Blink Publishing Pages: 294 Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 2cm

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£2.50 RRP £8.99 Save £6.49 (72% Off RRP)

Calling all Swifties! This brand new, fully up to date book has everything that fans need to know about Taylor Swift. Follow her journey from country music sensation to global megastar. Discover the hidden meanings behind her greatest songs, find out about her life as a performer and movie star, and read all kinds of quotes and TayTay trivia. Take a quiz to see how well you know Taylor, and even work out how to adopt all her different styles. You'll even join her on her current Eras world tour, and discover the story behind this amazing international event – including best songs and most momentous moments. This is an unmissable book for anyone who loves Taylor Swift! Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781839352867 • Author: Mortimer Children's Books • Publisher: Welbeck Children's Books • Format:  Hardcover • Pages: 64 • Dimensions: 21.8 x 1.2 x 28.6 cm

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£5.00 RRP £9.99 Save £4.99 (50% Off RRP)

The heart-warming tale of a life-saving friendship. In 2006, a traumatic car accident changed Kerry Irving’s life forever. Suffering from severe neck and back injuries, Kerry was unemployed and housebound, struggling with depression and even thoughts of suicide. He went from cycling over 600 miles a month to becoming a prisoner in his own home. With hope all but lost, Kerry’s wife encouraged him to go on a short walk to the local shop. In the face of unbearable pain and overwhelming panic, he persevered and along the way, met an adorable yard dog named Max. As the Spaniel peered up through the railings, Kerry found comfort and encouragement in his soulful brown eyes. This chance encounter marked a turning point in both their lives. In Max, Kerry found comfort and motivation and in Kerry, Max found someone to care for him. This is their remarkable, inspiring story. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008353520 • Author: Kerry Irving • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 272 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.8 cm

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£2.50 RRP £10.99 Save £8.49 (77% Off RRP)

Discover the fullest possible account of the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, including those he was not charged with and has never previously been connected to… The police believed Sutcliffe was operating only in the Greater Manchester Police, South Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police force areas, using his car. In fact, Sutcliffe was operating nationally and internationally, using his employer’s lorry to commit attacks. Authors Chris Clark and Tim Hicks have meticulously researched Sutcliffe’s crimes and reveal many of his previously unknown victims for the first time.  The police failed to deliver justice for the victims’ families, and the media has failed to hold the police to account for this failure – both in the original investigation and in subsequent cold-case investigations.    By bringing more of the facts of the case into the public domain and by telling the victims’ stories, this book helps to bring closure for friends and relatives of victims of the Yorkshire Ripper. Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781802472042 • Author: Chris Clark & Tim Hicks • Publisher: Ad Lib Publishers Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 240 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.1 x 1.5 cm

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£1.00 Was £2.50 RRP £9.99 Save £8.99 (90% Off RRP)

Fred and Rose West are virtually unique in British criminal history: a husband and wife who loved and killed together. During their long relationship, the Wests murdered a series of young women, burying the remains of nine victims under their home at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, including those of their daughter. What was left of Fred West's eight-year-old stepdaughter was dug up from under the Wests' previous Gloucester home; his first wife and nanny were buried in open country. Most victims had been decapitated and dismembered, their remains showing signs of sexual torture. These twelve are just the ones police found when the Wests were arrested in 1994. There may be more whose bones have not been located... Howard Sounes broke the first major story about the Wests as a journalist, and covered the murder trial of Rosemary West, before writing Fred & Rose, the definitive account of this infamous case. Beginning with Fred's and Rose's bizarre childhoods, Sounes charts their lives and crimes in forensic detail, creating a fascinating and truly frightening account of a marriage soaked in blood. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780751577501 • Author: Howard Sounes • Publisher:  Little, Brown • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  392 • Dimensions: 12.8 x 19.8 x 2.7 cm

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£1.00 Was £2.50 RRP £10.99 Save £9.99 (91% Off RRP)

In his first book David Jason told us about himself from his early years training as an electrician through to making it as one of Britain's greatest actors. This autumn, in a follow up autobiography, he tells us about the many other lives he has lived – his characters. From Del Boy to Granville, Pop Larkin to Frost, he takes us behind the scenes and under the skins of some of the best loved acts of his career. And in the process he reflects on how those characters changed his life too. The result told with his characteristic charm and wit is both funny and poignant, honest and heart warming. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529956160 • Author: David Jason • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 3cm

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£2.50 RRP £10.99 Save £8.49 (77% Off RRP)

The mystery has haunted generations since the Second World War: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why? Now, thanks to radical new technology and the obsession of a retired FBI agent, this book offers an answer. Rosemary Sullivan unfolds the story in a gripping, moving narrative. Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl, the journal teenaged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family and four other people in Amsterdam during World War II, until the Nazis arrested them and sent them to a concentration camp. But despite the many works – journalism, books, plays and novels – devoted to Anne’s story, none has ever conclusively explained how these eight people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years – and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door. With painstaking care, retired FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents – some never before seen – and interviewed scores of descendants of people familiar with the Franks. Utilising methods developed by the FBI, the Cold Case Team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to the infamous arrest – and came to a shocking conclusion. The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation is the riveting story of their mission. Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators, explains the behaviour of both the captives and their captors and profiles a group of suspects. All the while, she vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam: a place where no matter how wealthy, educated, or careful you were, you never knew whom you could trust. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008353872 • Author: Rosemary Sullivan • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 416 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.6 cm

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£2.50 RRP £9.99 Save £7.49 (75% Off RRP)

HMP Wakefield. ‘Monster Mansion’. Hell to be inside. Almost impossible to escape. This prison has seen some of the most infamous prisoners of all time pass through its cells – from Levi Bellfield to Harold Shipman, Ian Huntley and Charles Bronson. Jonathan Levi and Emma French are the perfect authors to give chilling insight into all the terrible men who have served time there. After detailing the shocking truth of life in Britain’s most high-profile psychiatric hospital in their bestselling book Inside Broadmoor, now they will take readers behind bars in this the UK’s most notorious prison. Inside Wakefield Prison will trace its long and intriguing history, from when it was first built in 1594 all the way up to the present day. Today, just over 750 of the country’s most dangerous offenders are kept there, including ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ Robert Maudsley, notorious killer Jeremy Bamber and former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins. Featuring all the sinister and truly horrifying stories that have emerged from the prison, as well as new unheard tales, this book will fascinate and shock readers on every page. Told with the help of interviews with staff, experts – and even in the words of the prisoners themselves – this is a no-holds-barred journey into the dark. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781789467536 • Author: Jonathan Levi & Emma French • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2cm

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£2.50 RRP £9.99 Save £7.49 (75% Off RRP)

Join the nation's favourite married couple and chart-topping podcast hosts, Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch, as they discuss the realities of modern relationships in this hilarious and relatable guide. From the moment you swipe right or lock eyes across a crowded bar, you step onto a rollercoaster ride of dating, first kisses and romantic weekends away. Then before you know it, you're meeting the in-laws, moving in together and walking down the aisle. It's not all highs, there are lows too: you've got your other half's annoying habits to discover and you need to learn how to win every argument in pursuit of always being right. When kids come along, sexy text messages make way for school whatsapp groups and suddenly you have no time for one another. Life is a blur of nappies, sleepless nights and chauffeuring as your offspring embark on a more colourful social life than you could dream of. That first date might just be the start of a relationship that lasts for the rest of your life, so choose wisely. From hooking up to breaking up and getting together to staying together, join us as we navigate our way through the trials and tribulations of dating and relationships. Celebrating all that's good and bad about being in pursuit of love, we ask can you ever find you happy ever after? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529956245 • Author: Peter Crouch & Abbey Clancy • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 288 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.7 cm

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£2.50 RRP £10.99 Save £8.49 (77% Off RRP)

Why are Scotland Yard murder detectives considered among the finest in the world? And why is so little known about how they truly work? Take a look at what lies behind that success with someone who knows. DI Steven Keogh spent over half of his 30-year police career as a Scotland Yard detective, helping to hunt down terrorists and some of the worst murderers in London. Step inside the mind of an investigator in a never-before-seen look into what it takes to catch killers and bring them to justice. In a journey from crime scene to trial, you will witness the emotional highs and lows of cracking real-life murder cases and discover why people kill, while debunking the myths that surround this detective work. Are you ready to challenge everything you thought you knew about the world of murder investigations? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781789466423 • Author: Steven Keogh • Publisher: John Blake • Format: Paperback • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2cm

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£2.50 Was £3.00 RRP £9.99 Save £7.49 (75% Off RRP)

‘Please help me,’ he said in a small voice. ‘Will you help me?’ Six-year-old Ralph has only been in the care system for three days and has already been rejected by three different foster carers. After hitting a teacher at his school and causing mayhem since he arrived four months ago, staff are unable to get a hold of his mum and her partner. Social Services are called and when Ralph turns up at Maggie’s house, she knows immediately it’s going to be a challenge. Within a couple of hours, Ralph has trashed Maggie’s house and spit on her face. After a nightmare first day though, Maggie notices that Ralph is limping and a hospital check reveals broken limbs and several injuries that are months and years old. Can Maggie help this troubled little boy who has been rejected by everyone in his life find his forever home? From Britain’s most-loved foster carer, a new powerful true story of abuse, family and hope. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399620925 • Author: Maggie Hartley • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Format: Paperback • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 19.56 x 12.7 x 2.29 cm

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£2.50 RRP £8.99 Save £6.49 (72% Off RRP)

As army veteran Bill Johnstone watched his garage business burn to the ground, he was certain the fire had been started deliberately. And when the police failed to investigate, he complained. Johnstone then made a shocking discovery: an extensive criminal record had been applied to his name. He believes this was no accident but a malicious act by a police officer. Those few keyboard strokes were the catalyst for a high-stakes battle that consumed his life. What began as police incompetence, soon escalated into an extraordinary saga of betrayal, conspiracy and cover-up. This is the incredible true story of his decade-long fight for justice. In an age where our personal information is stored and shared digitally, it could happen to anyone.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781780275390 • Author: Russell Findlay  • Publisher:  Birlinn Ltd • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  240 • Dimensions:  12.7 x 1.91 x 19.69 cm

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£1.00 Was £2.00 RRP £8.99 Save £7.99 (89% Off RRP)

The story of pop legend Dusty Springfield from the people who knew her, from her troubled childhood to 60s mod queen and enduring music icon. Dusty Springfield was one of our greatest pop singers. From 60s hits like ‘I Only Want to be With You’, ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ and ‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me’ to her 80s collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys and beyond, she was a musical pioneer and the very essence of authentic white soul. A member of the US Rock and Roll and UK Music Halls of Fame, international polls have named Dusty among the best female pop artists of all time. Twenty-five years after her passing, she continues to fascinate and inspire. This classic biography is based on over forty-five original interviews with close friends and people who worked with her, including Sir Tom Jones, Lulu, legendary arranger Ivor Raymonde, and the late, great Atlantic Records trio, Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, with whom she recorded her classic album Dusty In Memphis. The book fully explores her life and legacy, from a troubled Home Counties childhood to 60s mod queen and solo star, to her struggles with addiction and mental health issues, to her status as an influential LGBT heroine and enduring pop icon.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781789295863 • Author:  Lucy O'Brien • Publisher:  Michael O'Mara • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  304 • Dimensions:  12.9 x 2.2 x 19.8 cm

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£2.00 Was £4.00 RRP £10.99 Save £8.99 (82% Off RRP)

Are you a dedicated Swiftie? Look no further for your fandom fix than this Era by Era biography. Celebrate the incredible career of pop music’s biggest star in this sparkling biography. We’re all living in the Taylor Swift Era. Since her 2006 debut album she’s sold more than 200 million records, sold out countless arenas and become one of the most influential artists of her generation. Her Eras Tour is on track to gross more than $1 billion by the time it concludes in December 2024, and her most recent studio album hit No. 1 in more than 25 countries. In this revealing and entertaining biography, author and music journalist Caroline Sullivan charts Taylor’s journey from budding country starlet to pop music phenomenon, encompassing her evolution as an artist, her high-profile relationships and the stories behind her songs. Each of Taylor’s Eras is explored in depth, detailing her influences, her collaborators and the aesthetics that have become such a crucial part of her performance. Featuring a stunning photographic section with pictures spanning her entire career, this is the most complete portrait yet of one of the most popular artists on the planet! Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781789296860 • Author: Caroline Sullivan • Publisher: Michael O’Mara • Format: Paperback • Pages: 256 • Dimensions: 15.2 x 3.2 x 23.2cm

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£6.00 RRP £16.99 Save £10.99 (65% Off RRP)

Discover the brand new, inspirational autobiography from the Only Fools and Horses star and national treasure. 'This time next year, we'll be millionaires' So said Sir David’s iconic Only Fools character, Derek Trotter. But such a dream was almost unimaginable for David growing up in a working-class family in North Finchley in the rubble of the Blitz. Throughout his remarkable career, David's north star for navigating life's challenges has been his positive outlook and his resilience. From a trainee electrician to national treasure, David’s bumpy journey to success has overcome obstacle after obstacle. Candidly revealing the ups, the downs, and the roundabout turns, David’s latest volume of memoirs, This Time Next Year, is an uplifting, entertaining, and inspirational book offering an essential and unvarnished primer to leading a good life. Told with his characteristic warmth and humour, David reveals the hard-won wisdom of a life doggedly led getting through one day, looking to the next, and always chasing what's new on the horizon. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529944198 • Author: David Jason • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Hardback • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 24.2 x 16.6 x 3.1cm

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£11.00 RRP £22.00 Save £11.00 (50% Off RRP)

THE UNMISSABLE, UNVARNISHED MEMOIRS OF BORIS JOHNSON Boris Johnson has always been larger than life. Controversial, untrammelled by the normal rules of politics, his route to becoming Britain’s prime minister included a landmark career as a journalist, two terms as London’s mayor, leading the Vote Leave Brexit campaign and acting as foreign secretary. He won the largest Tory majority since 1987 when he went to the polls in December 2019 for a mandate to ‘Get Brexit Done’ – only to have his administration hit by the global Covid pandemic and toppled in a Tory putsch. Unleashed is his account of his time in politics, and a book that shatters the mould of the modern prime ministerial memoir. Written in his inimitable style, it is honest, unrestrained and deeply revealing about the politician who has dominated our times. This is his story of the fifteen years since he trounced Ken Livingstone at the polls to become mayor of London. Riots, tackling knife crime, bikes, buses, the London Olympics, and so much more. He writes about his role in Brexit, takes readers through all the big decisions and his reasons for taking them, and describes how he nearly died from Covid. Underlying everything in the book is his view that the UK is an extraordinary country and should have an exceptional future. These are the reflections of a political leader who believes fundamentally in levelling up – that there are millions of people in Britain who do not have the present they need or the future they deserve, and that it is the first job of politicians to put this right. It is all here. From soup to nuts, warts and all. As a journalist he was famed as a blurter of unsayable truths, and he has drawn again on this quality for the book. About people, policies, mistakes and triumphs. This is it – the reality as he saw it: unvarnished, unlocked, unleashed. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008618209 • Author: Boris Johnson • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Hardback • Pages: 784 • Dimensions: 24 x 15.9cm

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£15.00 RRP £30.00 Save £15.00 (50% Off RRP)

BAFTA-winning actor, creator of a myriad of unforgettable characters from Lady Whiteadder to Professor Sprout, Miriam Margolyes, OBE, is the nation's favourite (and naughtiest) treasure. Now, at the age of 80, she has finally decided to tell her extraordinary life story - and it's well worth the wait. Find out how being conceived in an air-raid gave her curly hair; what pranks led to her being known as the naughtiest girl Oxford High School ever had and why Bob Monkhouse was the best (male) kiss she's ever had. From declaring her love to Vanessa Redgrave to being told to be quiet by the Queen, this book is packed with brilliant, hilarious stories. With a cast list stretching from Scorsese to Streisand, a cross-dressing Leonardo di Caprio to Isaiah Berlin, This Much Is True is as warm and honest, as full of life and surprises, as its inimitable author. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529379907 • Author: Miriam Margolyes • Publisher: John Murray • Format: Paperback • Pages: 448 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm

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£4.00 Was £5.00 RRP £9.99 Save £5.99 (60% Off RRP)