Biographies & Memoirs S – Names Begin with S

From the Forecastle to the Cabin

Samuels, Capt Samuel

Harper 1887 Dewey Dec. Biography

Experiences of author who ran away from home and shipped as cabin boy; points out dangers that beset a seafaring life.
— A.L.A. Catalog 1904

Samuels, Captain Samuel (1825-1908)

Life and Times of Girolamo Savonarola, Vol 1

Volume 2

Villari, Pasquale

Scribner 1899 Dewey Dec. Biography

“The author ranks Savonarola with others in history who have endeavored to reconcile reason with faith and religion with liberty. Shows clearly the nature of his quarrel with Rome and pictures him as a precursor of the counter revolution.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Savonarola, Girolamo Maria Francesco Matteo (1452-1498)

Schubert (Master Musicians series)

Duncan, Edmondstoune

Dutton 1920 Dewey Dec. Biography

“A brief biography divided into three sections: Biographical, devoted to purely biographical details; The man, containing an account of Schubert’s character, religion, friends, literary tastes, and allied topics; The musician, describing Schubert’s compositions. Appendixes contain a bibliography of material about Schubert, a list of his works, a short chronology, and Schubert personalia and memoranda.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Schubert, Franz Peter (1797-1828)

Reminiscences, Vol 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Schurz, Carl

Doubleday 1907-08 Dewey Dec. Biography

“An autobiography which mirrors a character distinguished for keen judgment, zest in affairs and persistent idealism. It shows Schurz as German student and revolutionist (1848), American diplomat, Union general and statesman, closing, in 1869, with the beginning of his career in the Senate. His later life is summarized by Frederick Bancroft and W. A. Dunning, in volume three.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Schurz, Carl (1829-1906)

Catherine Schuyler (Women of Colonial and Revolutionary Times)

Humphreys, Mary Gay

Scribner 1897 Dewey Dec. Biography

“A life of Catherine Van Rensselaer, wife of General Philip Schuyler, which describes Dutch colonial life and society in Albany during the Revolutionary period.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Schuyler, Catherine (Van Rensselaer) (1734?-1803)

Six Months in Mexico

Bly, Nellie

American Publishers Corporation 1888 Dewey Dec. Biography

Personal memoir. A young woman becomes a journalist and takes an assignment in Mexico. The author, whose real name was Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, would later become one of the best-known women in the U.S. for a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, and for an investigative expose in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. See the entry in Wikipedia for “Nellie Bly”. There was also a 1981 movie; “The Adventures of Nellie Bly”.

Seaman, Elizabeth Cochrane (Nellie Bly) (1864-1922)

Life and Letters of Catharine M. Sedgwick

Dewey, Mary E.

Harper & Brothers 1871 Dewey Dec. Biography

A popular author of novels and short stories from the 1820s until the 1850s. She was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to a father who would become Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sedgwick, Catharine Maria (1789-1867)

The Letters of Madame de Sevigne to her Daughter and Friends

Sevigne, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal

Roberts 1878 Dewey Dec. Biography

“Of this correspondence Saintsbury said: “No writer of letters has ever approached her in unstudied grace, in fullness of interest, and in power of attracting the reader to the personality of the writer.” “
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Sevigne, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de (1626-1696)

William H. Seward (American Crisis Biographies)

Hale, Edward Everett Jr.

Jacobs 1910 Dewey Dec. Biography

Seward, William H. (1801-1872)

The Life of Sir Ernest Shackleton

Mill, Hugh Robert

Heinemann 1923 Dewey Dec. Biography

“The fascinating, authoritative record of the great British explorer’s life—his background and youth, his Antarctic expeditions and war work, and his last voyage. Written by a friend and fellow explorer who interprets Shackleton’s character with understanding and admirable restraint.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Shackleton, Sir Ernest Henry (1874-1922)

Lord Shaftesbury (Makers of the Nineteenth Century)

Hammond, John Lawrence and Barbara Hammond

Constable 1923 Dewey Dec. Biography

“An excellent study of the career and character of the English philanthropist and social reformer who is one of the outstanding figures in English industrial history. The emphasis is placed on the details of his life relating to industrial history; biographical detail not affecting this is omitted.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of (1801-1885)

The Story of a Pioneer

Shaw, Anna Howard

Harper 1915 Dewey Dec. Biography

“A fascinating autobiography, written with the author’s characteristic flashes of humor. Beginning with childhood days and the moving of the family into the heart of the forest wilderness where untold hardships were bravely borne, it follows her determined and successful fight for an excellent education, her struggles in Michigan as the first woman clergyman in the Methodist church, and her long leadership with Susan B. Anthony in the suffrage movement.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Shaw, Anna Howard (1847-1919)

George Bernard Shaw, His Life and Works

Stewart and Kidd 1911 Dewey Dec. Biography

Henderson, Archibald

“A Boswellian biography, authorized by Mr. Shaw, who has contributed to it what he calls a “mass of unceremonious and irresponsible autobiography.” Despite its questionable taste, the book is a detailed and accurate account of the various phases of art, economics and literature in which Mr. Shaw has interested himself.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Shaw, George Bernard (1856-1950)

Personal Memoirs, Vol 1

Volume 2

Sherman, William Tecumseh

Appleton 1886 Dewey Dec. Biography

Admirably clear and direct. Free use of his letters, orders and reports gives great interest and value. Closes with great review in Washington, but concluding chapter on military lessons of the war full of knowledge, wisdom and sound sense.
— A.L.A. Catalog 1904

Sherman, William Tecumseh (1820-1891)

The White Tecumseh: The Life of William T. Sherman

Hirshson, Stanley, P.

Wiley 1997

“General William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the most complex and fascinating figures in the history of the U.S. military. His fierce campaigns of the Civil War, climaxed by the burning of Atlanta and his famous march to the sea, are the stuff of legend. Yet, until now, much of Sherman’s life and troubled times have remained mired in controversy. In this superbly detailed, scrupulously documented account, author Stanley P. Hirshson presents the most vivid, revealing, and complete biography ever of the controversial general.” – Book cover

Sherman, William Tecumseh (1820-1891)

B. F. Skinner: A Life

Bjork, Daniel W.

Basic 1993 Dewey Dec. 000

Skinner, Burrhus Frederic (1904-1990)

Mary Slessor of Calabar; Pioneer Missionary

Livingstone, William Pringle

Doran 1916 Dewey Dec. Biography

“The heroine was a Scotch girl born amidst the humblest surroundings and conditions, which made her at fourteen and for fourteen years a millworker in the city of Dundee. . . . From her early childhood she was interested in the missionary efforts along the old Calabar coast, and here from 1876 until her death in 1915 she carried on, often alone and in the midst of danger, a pioneer work for the reclamation of the savage tribes. This well written memoir, based chiefly upon her many letters, gives the reader a. striking picture of the barbarous life and customs of the natives of Calabar and shows the uplifting power of civilization.”
“One of the most fascinating missionary biographies ever written. It has the romance of heroism and adventure, the vitality of vigorous achievement, the freshness of pioneering in a land of strange peoples and weird customs.”
– The Book Review Digest

Slessor, Mary Mitchell (1848-1915)

Adam Smith (English Men of Letters)

Hirst, Francis Wrigley

Macmillan 1904 Dewey Dec. Biography

“A lucid, well written exposition of Smith’s economic theories, and a biography without a suggestion of dullness.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Smith, Adam (1723-1790)

Captain John Smith (English Men of Action)

Bradley, Arthur Granville

Macmillan 1905 Dewey Dec. Biography

“Based on Smith’s own narratives, it deals fully with his experiences in Virginia and with the Jamestown colony.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Smith, John (1580-1631)

No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith

Brodie, Fawn McKay

Vintage 1995 Dewey Dec. 000

Smith, Joseph Jr. (1805-1844)

Autobiography, Vol 1

Volume 2

Spencer, Herbert

Appleton 1904 Dewey Dec. Biography

“A human document of extraordinary interest which, besides being the record of a life that was heroic in the finest sense, is also one of the most honest books ever written.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903)

Autobiography

Stanley, Sir Henry Morton

Houghton 1911 Dewey Dec. Biography

“A remarkably absorbing and inspiring record of early hardship bravely borne and made to contribute to the splendid power of achievement which overcame all obstacles in his great African explorations. The unfinished autobiography is supplemented by extracts from his journals, letters and notebooks skillfully woven together by his wife.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Stanley, Sir Henry Morton (1841-1904)

George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire

Golenbock, Peter

Wiley & Sons 2009

“No one is better equipped to delve into George Steinbrenner’s improbable, outsized life than Peter Golenbock, the undisputed king of baseball books. His latest is compulsively readable and chock-full of revealing anecdotes that are sure to make headlines. A fascinating account of a complex man who is both infuriating bully and beloved icon.” – Jane Heller

Steinbrenner, George Michael III (1930-2010)

The Education of a Woman: the Life of Gloria Steinem

Heilbrun, Carolyn G.

Ballantine 1996

“Determined to discover the woman behind the headlines, Heilbrun explores the many facets of Steinem’s complex life, including her difficult childhood in Toledo, Ohio, caring for an incapacitated mother; the college that provided a safe haven from the anxieties of home; the formative trip to India and the influence of Gandhi’s teachings: the awakening that changed her from a political columnist for New Yorker magazine to the most famous feminist in the world; the triumphant creation of Ms. magazine and the long, hard struggle to keep it going; and, ultimately, the profound introspection she undertook in the ’90s. ‘The Education of a Woman’ heralds a refreshing departure from the conventional ways that women have been written about and perceived, answering the provocative question: how did Gloria Steinem become Gloria Steinem?” – Book cover

Steinem, Gloria Marie (1934 – )

Against the Current; Simple Chapters from a Complex Life

Steiner, Edward Alfred

Revell 1910 Dewey Dec. Biography

“The dramatic, appealing story of the author’s childhood as an orthodox Hebrew in Hungary, and of the unusual influences contributing to his mental and spiritual development and his passion for humanity.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Steiner, Edward Alfred (1866-1956)

Thaddeus Stevens (American Statesmen series)

McCall, Samuel W.

Houghton, Mifflin 1899 Dewey Dec. Biography

Stevens, Thaddeus (1792-1868)

Autobiography of a Journalist, Vol 1

Volume 2

Stillman, William James

Houghton 1901 Dewey Dec. Biography

His personal friendships with Emerson, Lowell, Agassiz, Rossetti and others, and wide acquaintance with art, archeology and European affairs of last half century lend high interest. Appeared in abridged form in Atlantic.
— A.L.A. Catalog 1904
Stillman was also an archaeologist, a diplomat and a fine photographer.

Stillman, William James (1828-1901)

Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe: compiled from her letters and journals

Stowe, Harriet Beecher

Boston: 1889

Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe (1812-1896) was born in Litchfield, Connecticut; the daughter of Dr. Lyman Beecher, a distinguished clergyman. The family moved in 1833 to Cincinnati. In 1836 Harriet married Rev. Calvin Stowe, who later became a professor at Bowdoin College in Maine. The couple was living in Maine in 1851 when she began publishing “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in weekly installments. This depiction of life for African Americans under slavery was then published as a book in 1852. It was enormously popular, selling an unprecedented 300,000 copies in the U.S. in its first year. It was also widely dramatized on stage. The story energized anti-slavery forces in the North and had a powerful impact on the growing rift between north and south in the 1850s.

During her years in Cincinnati she wrote stories for the Cincinnati “Gazette” and other periodicals. A number of these were collected and published in a volume entitled “The Mayflower“.

Stowe, Harriet Elizabeth Beecher (1812-1896)

Under Four Administrations; From Cleveland to Taft

Straus, Oscar Solomon

Houghton 1922 Dewey Dec. Biography

“The personal friend of Cleveland, McKinley, Roosevelt and Taft, twice minister, and later ambassador to Turkey, secretary of labor under Roosevelt, member of the Permanent court of arbitration at The Hague and chairman of the Paris commission of the League to enforce peace, the author has written not merely an autobiography, but an authoritative chronicle of important national and international episodes.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Straus, Oscar Solomon (1850-1926)

August Strindberg: The Spirit of Revolt. Studies and Impressions

Lind-af-Hageby, Lizzy

Appleton 1913 Dewey Dec. Biography

“A sympathetic, thoughtful and interesting appreciation of this morbid genius. The biographical part is largely a condensation of his autobiographical writings and presents a clear and vigorous portrait. The full review of his work introduces English readers to the untranslated plays and to new phases of his literary work. The only book of its sort in English.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Strindberg, August (1849-1912)

The Mystery of Mary Stuart

Lang, Andrew

Longmans 1902 Dewey Dec. Biography

“Mr. Lang has collated narratives with extraordinary diligence, confronted witnesses with each other, sifted their evidence and tested their motives with exemplary impartiality.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Mary Stuart, Queen of the Scots (1542-1587)

Autobiography of an Idea

Sullivan, Louis Henry

American institute of architects 1924 Dewey Dec. Biography

“A stirring story, a revelation of the fine spirit and alert, independent mind of the man who was “the first squarely to face the expressional problem of the steel framed skyscraper” and to work toward its solution.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926

Sullivan, Louis Henry (1856-1924)

Charles Sumner (American Crisis Biographies)

Haynes, George H.

Jacobs 1909 Dewey Dec. Biography

Sumner, Charles (1811-1874)

Life and Mission of Emanuel Swedenborg

Worcester, Benjamin

Little 1901 Dewey Dec. Biography

Swedenborg, Emanuel (1688-1772)