Biographies

"Did they tell you stories about the saints of old,
stories about their faith?
Stories like that make a boy grow bold,
stories like that make a man walk straight..."

Rich Mullins, Boy Like Me, Man Like You

Stories about people have a way of affecting us in ways other stories can't. The Bible is primarily stories about people, and it is through these multiple biographies that we understand human nature, the history of redemption, and even to a great extent God Himself. The purpose behind any other biography is largely the same—to help us understand what it means to be human from the examples (sometimes even the bad examples) of those who have preceded us.

The biographies we have chosen for this section represent those of great leaders in history, social and military heroes, and Christian saints past and present who struggled to conform their lives to Christ's perfect example. We have avoided for the most part biographies of history's villains and chronic immoralists, not because they aren't interesting but because they don't represent lives worthy of imitation. We've also decided not to focus on athletes, actors, and celebrities, unless they've made important contributions outside their fields. That's not to say everyone found here was above reproach or even a Christian, but they all demonstrated real human virtues for which they are remembered.

Biographies are also useful for better understanding of a given historical period. While history books can provide good overviews of a period or events, the intimate detail of a good biography can better illustrate a time period and what it was like to be alive then. This also serves to demonstrate the universality of human nature, that people will behave basically the same during any given period and in any given place. Sometimes we get the impression that people of the past, especially people like missionaries and ministers, were somehow more pious than we are—the personal view offered by a good biography dispels this myth and offers encouragement that not even the best men and women are any closer to perfection than we are.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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110 Items found Print
Active Filters: Composers & Musicians
Adventures of Richard Wagner
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Antonin Dvorak
Julian Messner Shelf of Biographies
by Clair Lee Purdy, illustrated by Edgard Cirlin
from Julian Messner
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Arrow Pointing to Heaven
by James Bryan Smith
Revised from B&H Books
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.99
Bach Book
by Victoria Tierney & Crystal Landucci
from Oregon Coast Music Association
for 2nd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Bach's Goldberg Variations
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$16.95
Bach: His Life and Times
by Tim Dowley
1st edition from Hippocrene Books
for 9th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Beethoven
by Reba Paeff Mirsky
from Follett
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Beethoven
by David Jacobs
from Harper & Row
for 4th-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Beethoven, His Life and Times
by Ates Orga
2nd edition from Paganiniana Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Beethoven/Haydn Lapbook Set
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$9.00 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Best of Tchaikovsky
from My Father's World
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Music CDs (Location: CD)
Boyhoods of Great Composers
Young Readers Guides to Music
by Catherine Gough, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone
1961 Reprint from Henry Z. Walck, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Brahms/Schubert Lapbook Set
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$9.00 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Chopin
by George Ruttkay
from Hyperion Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Chopin Lapbook
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$7.00
Chopin, His Life and Times
by Ates Orga
from Paganiniana Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Composers Activity-Pak
by Amy Pak
from Home School in the Woods
for 3rd-8th grade
in Hands-On History Activity-Paks (Location: HISRF-HOH)
$12.00
Drum Dream Girl
by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-6th grade
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.99
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-6th grade
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines
by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines - MP3 Audio Book
by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$11.17
Famous Children: Haydn
by Ann Rachlin
from Barron's
for 1st-3rd grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Famous Children: Mozart
by Ann Rachlin
from Barron's
for 1st-3rd grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Foster/MacDowell Lapbook CD
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$7.00
Francis Scott Key
Sowers Series
by David Collins
from Mott Media
for 5th-7th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher, illustrated by Mary Greenwalt
1943 Printing from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends (hardcover)
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends - Study Guide
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$3.50
Frederic Chopin
by Victor Seroff
from Macmillan
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland: Early Years
by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Christine Price
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland: Later Years
by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Christine Price
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
George Frideric Handel
Sowers Series
by Charles Ludwig
from Mott Media
for 6th-8th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$8.99
George Handel
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Music Education & Reference (Location: ELE-MUSREF)
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
Glory and Honor
Leaders in Action Series
by Gregory Wilbur
from Cumberland House
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA)
Great Christian Hymn Writers
by Jane Stuart Smith & Betty Carlson
from Crossway Books
for 7th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
Handel at the Court of Kings
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Handel at the Court of Kings
by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Mary Greenwalt
1958 Seventh Printing from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Handel's World
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Haydn's Farewell Symphony
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$16.95
Haydn, His Life and Times
by Neil Butterworth
Expanded from Paganiniana Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
He Heard America Sing
by Clair Lee Purdy
from Julian Messner
for 4-6
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Horn for Louis
Stepping Stones
by Eric A. Kimmel
from Penguin Random House
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Igor Stravinsky
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Jenny Lind's America
by Frances Cavanah
from Chilton Book Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
Johannes Brahms
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
John Philip Sousa
by Ann M. Lingg
1963 Printing from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Joseph Haydn
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Joseph Haydn - Study Guide
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Leonard Bernstein
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
Life & Times of Beethoven
by Gino Pugnetti
from Curtis Publishing Co.
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Life & Times of Chopin
by Adelaide Murgia
from Curtis Publishing Co.
for 8th-12th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life and Times of Stephen Foster
from Mitchell Lane Publishers
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Lives and Times: John Philip Sousa
from Heinemann Library
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Lives of the Musicians
by Kathleen Krull
from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Lives of the Musicians
by Kathleen Krull
from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$8.99
Ludwig Beethoven and the Chiming Tower Bells
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
Ludwig Beethoven and the Chiming Tower Bells - Study Guide
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$3.50
Ludwig van Beethoven
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
Man with the Violin
by Kathy Stinson, Illustrated by Dusan Petricic, with a postscript by Joshua Bell
from Annick Press
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.95
Masters of Music: Bach and Baroque Music
by Stefano Catucci
from Barron's
Biography for 7th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Masters of Music: Beethoven and the Classical Age
by Andrea Bergamini
from Barron's
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Masters of Music: Mozart and Classical Music
by Francesco Salvi
from Barron's
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Minute Sketches of Great Composers
by Eva v B. Hansl, Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by Samuel Nisenson
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biographical sketches for 3rd-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Mozart
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Mozart the Wonder Boy
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Mozart, His Life and Times
by Peggy Woodford
from Paganiniana Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Music Appreciation 2 - Lapbook
from Zeezok Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$15.99
Musical Genius
by Barbara Allman
from Darby Creek Publishing
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.95
Opal Wheeler's Great Musicians set
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$189.76
Paganini, Master of Strings
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Peter Tchaikovsky
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
Peter Tchaikovsky
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
by Mike Venezia
Revised from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
Pictures at an Exhibition
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$16.95
Ray Charles: Young Musician
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Susan Sloate
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$6.99
Richard Wagner: The Man, His Mind, and His Music
by Robert W. Gutman
from Time-Life Books
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff
by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Christine Price
1963 Fifth Printing from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Sebastian Bach
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
by Patrick Kavanaugh
2nd edition from Zondervan
for 9th-Adult
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Stephen Foster
Lives and Times
by Peggy Pancella
from Heinemann Library
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Stephen Foster - Study Guide
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray
by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Mary Greenwalt
First Edition from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 1st-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray - MP3 Audio Book
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$11.17
Story of Beethoven
Signature Books #41
by Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by Fritz Kredel
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Haydn
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #49
by Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by John Leone
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biographies for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Mozart
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #34
by Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by Eric M. Simon
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Peter Tchaikovsky
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Story of Stephen Foster
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #31
by Esther M. Douty, illustrated by Jo Polseno
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Tchaikovsky with Music
from My Father's World
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Music Masters CDs (Location: CD-MUMA)
Story-Lives of Great Composers
by Katherine Little Bakeless
3rd edition from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 7th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Story-Lives of Master Musicians
by Harriette Brower
from Frederick A. Stokes Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Tell Me About Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Verdi
by Joseph Wechsberg
1st edition from Putnam Juvenile
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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