Public-domain status generally means that a source text is no longer protected by copyright in the relevant jurisdiction or has been released for public use. Rights status can vary by country and edition.
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Biography & Memoir Archive: Public Domain Biographies and Memoirs
This catalogue gathers 91 public-domain biographies, memoirs, diaries, journals, and letter collections, each linked to a Project Gutenberg edition. The subject mix spans American enterprise, slavery, opera, science, and cross-cultural experience, with authors ranging from Elbert Hubbard to Opal Whiteley. The four categories are practical browsing aids rather than strict classifications: a work may appear under more than one. Each record includes an editorial note summarizing the work's context and suggesting connections to other titles. For newcomers, three reading paths are suggested—one focusing on biography and personal testimony, one on memoirs of conflict and change, and one on diaries of inner life.
91 public-domain works118 represented authorsSource-attributed catalogue records
Biography & Memoir — Editor’s Selection
A concise group of works selected to introduce the subjects, source types and historical questions represented in this catalogue.
Newly Catalogued by EXUAR
Recently added catalogue records, listed with author information, thematic placement and links to the available work pages.
The privations of a private — St...
In Letters...
A surgeon in khaki — Story, Sett...
In Letters...
Trading in Scrabbletown — Inside...
In Biograp...
The forbidden zone — Edition Ins...
In Letters...
Richard Lepsius, a biography — S...
In Diaries...
Memoirs of Dr. Joseph Priestley ...
In Memoirs
Lives of the electricians — Cont...
In Biograp...
Memoirs of the life of David Rit...
In Memoirs
Catalogue questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How the collection is organized, presented and corrected.
Catalogue records organize the author, title, edition and source information available for each work. Source links are provided where they are available.
Works are grouped according to their main subjects, historical setting, source type and their relationship to other records in the collection.
The catalogue provides organization and editorial context. Original source texts retain their own wording, edition details and rights status.
Use the contact page to report an attribution, metadata, category or source-link issue. Include the title and the specific detail that may require correction.
Editorial responsibility
EXUAR Catalogue
Catalogue information
This catalogue is organized using source attribution, bibliographic metadata, subject-based categories, and supplementary contextual notes. Submitted corrections may be used to update catalogue records.
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Browse existing collections, books and author records through several catalogue routes.
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- The Gallery of Portraits: with M...Memoirs
- The Gallery of Portraits: with M...Memoirs
- Featured An Englishwoman's twenty-five ye... Authors: Hawker, George In Letters...
- Featured Chains and Freedom: or, The Life... Authors: Wheeler, Peter, 1789-1842... In Diaries...
- Featured The Life of Joseph Smith, the Pr... Authors: Cannon, George Q. (George... In Biograp...
Collections and books
Featured An Englishwoman's twenty-five ye... Authors: Hawker, George In Letters...Featured Chains and Freedom: or, The Life... Authors: Wheeler, Peter, 1789-1842... In Diaries...Featured The Life of Joseph Smith, the Pr... Authors: Cannon, George Q. (George... In Biograp...Featured Leaves from My Journal: Third Bo... Authors: Woodruff, Wilford, 1807-1898 In Diaries...
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- Biographies
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- Memoirs
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- Diaries Journals