Penguin Lives books in order

Reading order

The Penguin Lives series is an ambitious biographical project that pairs important historical figures with accomplished contemporary writers. Each book provides a concise life story, typically under 200 pages, making the series accessible to readers who want an introduction to a figure without committing to a full-length biography.

The series covers an enormous range of subjects, from Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon to Virginia Woolf and Elvis Presley. Thomas Keneally contributed the Abraham Lincoln volume, bringing his historical fiction skills to a non-fiction portrait of the American president. The full series includes over thirty volumes published between 1999 and 2011.