Complete List of Autobiographies

What’s an Autobiography?

An autobiography is a self-written account of an individual’s life. It offers a first-person, introspective journey into personal experiences, formative events, and milestones often reflecting broader cultural and historical contexts.

A. Timeless Classics & Global Icons

These autobiographies have earned international acclaim and remain influential across generations:

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1791) — Benjamin Franklin
Long Walk to Freedom (1994) — Nelson Mandela
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) — Maya Angelou
The Diary of a Young Girl (1947) — Anne Frank
Night (1956) — Elie Wiesel
The Story of My Experiments with Truth (1927) — Mahatma Gandhi
Born a Crime (2016) — Trevor Noah
Becoming (2018) — Michelle Obama
Educated (2018) — Tara Westover
Angela’s Ashes (1996) — Frank McCourt
The Glass Castle (2005) — Jeannette Walls
Dreams from My Father (1995) — Barack Obama
My Life (2004) — Bill Clinton
The Story of My Life (1903) — Helen Keller
Autobiography of Mark Twain (2010) — Mark Twain
Chronicles: Volume One (2004) — Bob Dylan
A Moveable Feast (1964) — Ernest Hemingway
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) — Frederick Douglass
The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt (1961) — Eleanor Roosevelt
Agatha Christie: An Autobiography (1977) — Agatha Christie
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (1985) — Richard Feynman
The Measure of a Man (2000) — Sidney Poitier
Unbroken (2010) — Laura Hillenbrand (on Louis Zamperini)
I Am Ozzy (2009) — Ozzy Osbourne
Shoe Dog (2016) — Phil Knight
I Am Malala (2013) — Malala Yousafzai
Persepolis (2000) — Marjane Satrapi
Eat, Pray, Love (2006) — Elizabeth Gilbert
The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) — Joan Didion
Travels with Charley (1962) — John Steinbeck
Just Kids (2010) — Patti Smith
The Diary of Frida Kahlo (1995) — Frida Kahlo
Born to Run (2016) — Bruce Springsteen
A Child Called ‘It’ (1995) — Dave Pelzer
The Diary of Anaïs Nin (1966) — Anaïs Nin
The Seven Storey Mountain (1948) — Thomas Merton
Life (2010) — Keith Richards

B. Spiritual Classics & Memoirs

Often blending inner journey with autobiography:

Autobiography of a Yogi (1946) — Paramahansa Yogananda
Freedom in Exile (1991) — The 14th Dalai Lama

C. Noteworthy Autobiographies from India

A rich panorama of lives that mirror India’s evolution:

Wings of Fire (1999) — A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
An Autobiography (Toward Freedom) (1936) — Jawaharlal Nehru
Waiting for a Visa — B. R. Ambedkar
Autobiography of an Unknown Indian (1951) — Nirad C. Chaudhuri
A Shot at History — Abhinav Bindra
Playing It My Way — Sachin Tendulkar
The Story of My Experiments with Truth — Mahatma Gandhi
The Race of My Life — Milkha Singh
Plus memoirs from political, literary, and cultural figures like Kapil Dev, Khushwant Singh, Sania Mirza, Lata Mangeshkar, Karan Johar, Rishi Kapoor, Mary Kom, and more

D. More Reader-Recommended Autobiographies

Additional popular picks from enthusiasts and editorial lists:

Night — Elie Wiesel
Eat, Pray, Love — Elizabeth Gilbert
Educated — Tara Westover
Bossypants — Tina Fey
The Pursuit of Happyness — Chris Gardner
Hillbilly Elegy — J.D. Vance
The Hiding Place — Corrie ten Boom
The Last Black Unicorn — Tiffany Haddish
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks — Rebecca Skloot