Penguin Lives Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Penguin Lives books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: January 2026
Publication Order
Abraham Lincoln (By: Thomas Keneally)
Buy on Amazon1960
Mao Zedong: A Life (By: Jonathan D. Spence)
Buy on Amazon1999
Mozart: A Life (By: Peter Gay)
Buy on Amazon1999
Marcel Proust (By: Edmund White)
Buy on Amazon1999
Crazy Horse (By: Larry McMurtry)
Buy on Amazon1999
Saint Augustine (By: Garry Wills)
Buy on Amazon1999
James Joyce (By: Edna O'Brien)
Buy on Amazon1999
Rosa Parks (By: Douglas Brinkley)
Buy on Amazon2000
Virginia Woolf (By: Nigel Nicolson)
Buy on Amazon2000
Woodrow Wilson
Buy on Amazon2000
Herman Melville (By: Elizabeth Hardwick)
Buy on Amazon2000
Leonardo da Vinci: A Life (By: Sherwin B. Nuland)
Buy on Amazon2000
Dante (By: R.W.B. Lewis)
Buy on Amazon2001
Jane Austen: A Life (By: Carol Shields)
Buy on Amazon2001
Buddha (By: Karen Armstrong)
Buy on Amazon2001
Simone Weil (By: Francine du Plessix Gray)
Buy on Amazon2001
Andy Warhol: A Biography (By: Wayne Koestenbaum)
Buy on Amazon2001
Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life (By: Marshall Frady)
Buy on Amazon2001
Joseph Smith (By: Robert V. Remini)
Buy on Amazon2002
Winston Churchill: A Life (By: John Keegan)
Buy on Amazon2002
Pope John XXIII (By: Thomas Cahill)
Buy on Amazon2002
Charles Dickens (By: Jane Smiley)
Buy on Amazon2002
Elvis Presley (By: Bobbie Ann Mason)
Buy on Amazon2002
Saint Therese of Lisieux (By: Kathryn Harrison)
Buy on Amazon2003
Robert E. Lee (By: Roy Blount Jr.)
Buy on Amazon2003
Frank Lloyd Wright: A Life (By: Ada Louise Huxtable)
Buy on Amazon2004
George Herbert Walker Bush (By: Tom Wicker)
Buy on Amazon2004
Napoleon (By: Paul Johnson)
Buy on Amazon2006
Julia Child (By: Laura Shapiro)
Buy on Amazon2007
Joan of Arc (By: Mary Gordon)
Buy on Amazon2008
Martin Luther (By: Martin E. Marty)
Buy on Amazon2008
Branch Rickey: A Life (By: Jimmy Breslin)
Buy on Amazon2011
Frequently Asked Questions
The recommended reading order for the Penguin Lives series is publication order: 1. Abraham Lincoln (By: Thomas Keneally) (1960), 2. Mao Zedong: A Life (By: Jonathan D. Spence) (1999), 3. Mozart: A Life (By: Peter Gay) (1999), 4. Marcel Proust (By: Edmund White) (1999), 5. Crazy Horse (By: Larry McMurtry) (1999), and 27 more. This is generally the best way to experience the story as the author intended.
The Penguin Lives series by Louis Auchincloss contains 32 books. The series began in 1960 and continues to be a popular choice for readers.
The Penguin Lives series is written by Louis Auchincloss. You can find more books and series by this author on our website.
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