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Chronicles the historical evolution of the biography genre from ancient times to the early twenty-first century, considering questions about the purpose of biographies, their audience, the challenges of writing biographies, and their role in Western culture.

"This book is a companion volume to Biographical books, 1950-1980, completing a comprehensive one hundred and five year bibliography of biographical and autobiographical works published or distributed in the United States"--Preface.

Intimidation -- A Wedding -- The Man Who Wanted to Buy a Centrifuge -- A Midnight Visit -- In the Shadow of Ahmadinejad -- The Women Who Dared Rise Up -- Spies on the Doorstep -- A Fatwa to Defend -- Besieged -- A Mother's Test -- The Farewell -- The Stolen Election -- Alone in the World -- Betrayal -- Life Without a Home -- The Forged Passport -- Dispossession -- The Spring That Led to Winter -- Bloodbath as Lesson -- The Suspicious Neighbor.

The esteemed Harvard lawyer describes his career and the cases that have changed American jurisprudence throughout the past half century, discussing his early academic struggles, his clerking work for Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, and his role in many prominent cases.