Penguin Lives books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Penguin Lives series?"

"There are 32 books in the Penguin Lives series, published between 1960 and 2011."

Q: "What is the first book in the Penguin Lives series?"

"The first book in the Penguin Lives series is Abraham Lincoln, published in 1960."

Q: "Which volume in the Penguin Lives series did Edmund White write?"

"Edmund White wrote the Marcel Proust volume, published in 1999. Each book in the Penguin Lives series is written by a different author, and White was chosen for the Proust biography because of his deep familiarity with French literature and his own background as a novelist. Other volumes in the series include biographies of figures like Abraham Lincoln, Virginia Woolf, and Buddha, each by a different writer."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	Abraham Lincoln	1960	Edmund White	Buy
2	Mao Zedong: A Life	1999	Edmund White	Buy
3	Mozart: A Life	1999	Edmund White	Buy
4	Marcel Proust	1999	Edmund White	Buy
5	Crazy Horse	1999	Edmund White	Buy
6	Saint Augustine	1999	Edmund White	Buy
7	James Joyce	1999	Edmund White	Buy
8	Rosa Parks	2000	Edmund White	Buy
9	Virginia Woolf	2000	Edmund White	Buy
10	Woodrow Wilson	2000	Edmund White	Buy
11	Herman Melville	2000	Edmund White	Buy
12	Leonardo da Vinci: A Life	2000	Edmund White	Buy
13	Dante	2001	Edmund White	Buy
14	Jane Austen	2001	Edmund White	Buy
15	Buddha	2001	Edmund White	Buy
16	Simone Weil	2001	Edmund White	Buy
17	Andy Warhol: A Biography	2001	Edmund White	Buy
18	Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life	2001	Edmund White	Buy
19	Joseph Smith	2002	Edmund White	Buy
20	Winston Churchill: A Life	2002	Edmund White	Buy
21	Pope John XXIII	2002	Edmund White	Buy
22	Charles Dickens	2002	Edmund White	Buy
23	Elvis Presley	2002	Edmund White	Buy
24	Saint Therese of Lisieux	2003	Edmund White	Buy
25	Robert E. Lee	2003	Edmund White	Buy
26	Frank Lloyd Wright: A Life	2004	Edmund White	Buy
27	George Herbert Walker Bush	2004	Edmund White	Buy
28	Napoleon	2006	Edmund White	Buy
29	Julia Child	2007	Edmund White	Buy
30	Joan of Arc	2008	Edmund White	Buy
31	Martin Luther	2008	Edmund White	Buy
32	Branch Rickey: A Life	2011	Edmund White	Buy

Penguin Lives is a series of short biographies published by Penguin, each written by a different notable author. The series covers a wide range of historical and cultural figures, from Abraham Lincoln and Joan of Arc to Elvis Presley and Andy Warhol. Each volume runs about 200 pages and aims to make its subject accessible to general readers rather than specialists.

Edmund White contributed the Marcel Proust volume in 1999, drawing on his years of living in Paris and his lifelong admiration for Proust’s work. The other 31 biographies in the series are by different authors, including Larry McMurtry on Crazy Horse, Edna O’Brien on James Joyce, and Karen Armstrong on Buddha. The books can be read in any order, and each stands on its own as an independent portrait of its subject.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Penguin Lives series?

There are 32 books in the Penguin Lives series, published between 1960 and 2011.

What is the first book in the Penguin Lives series?

The first book in the Penguin Lives series is Abraham Lincoln, published in 1960.

Which volume in the Penguin Lives series did Edmund White write?

Edmund White wrote the Marcel Proust volume, published in 1999. Each book in the Penguin Lives series is written by a different author, and White was chosen for the Proust biography because of his deep familiarity with French literature and his own background as a novelist. Other volumes in the series include biographies of figures like Abraham Lincoln, Virginia Woolf, and Buddha, each by a different writer.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order