Biography Library

These are the biographies, autobiographies, and monographs that have guided me.

Each one of them has inspired me, and I hope they might inspire you as well.

Like you, I am open to new discoveries, so if you would like to recommend a book that has inspired you, please contact me.

Alexis: The Memoirs of Baron de Redé by Alexis de Redé

Published in 2005, this hard to find autobiography of the Baron de Redé (edited by Hugo Vickers) is fascinating. It is filled with well-known stories of events and personalities, yet the difference lies not in the fact that Baron de Redé was there, but in his unique perspective.

see Rothschild Surrealist Ball, Renzo Mongiardino's Masterpiece

D.V. Diana Vreeland by Diana Vreeland

see Duke of Windsor

Chanel and Her World by Edmonde Charles-Roux

see Coco Chanel

The Whims of Fortune: The Memoirs of Guy de Rothschild by Guy de Rothschild

Published in 1985, The Whims of Fortune is the exceptional autobiography of Guy de Rothschild. Well written and fascinating, it is one of the few first-person accounts by any member of the Rothschild family. He may have felt compelled to write this book to share his humanity after the traumatic nationalization of his family business, the Rothschild Bank of France.

see Rothschild Surrealist Ball, Renzo Mongiardino's Masterpiece

Once a King: The Lost Memoir of Edward VIII by Jane Marguerite Tippett

The Duke had created an unexpurgated version of his autobiography, A King's Story, and these notes were found in the archive of Charles Murphy.

Murphy continued his friendship with the Windsor’s and notes and recollections all the way through the end of Wallis’ autobiography in 1956 are included.

Day by day details of the 1936 abdication with a special section focused on dissecting the evidence of the Duke's support of Germany.

see Duke of Windsor, The Jewelry of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor

A King's Story: The Memoirs of H.R.H. the Duke of Windsor by The Duke of Windsor

see Duke of Windsor, The Jewelry of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor

Marella Agnelli: The Last Swan by Marella Agnelli and Marella Caracciolo Chia

Marella’s collaborations with the greatest tastemakers of the 20th century

What is most exciting about Marella Agnelli’s autobiography is how generous she is in sharing her life with us. Since her stories have been told so often by others, it was refreshing to hear them from her point of view.

Her focus on the design of each of her homes and gardens is an invaluable contribution to the history of interior and garden design, as she gives us her perspective on some of the most famous projects and tastemakers of the 20th century: Stéphane Boudin (Parisian interior designer with Maison Jansen), Russell Page (British Gardener), Amedeo Albertini (Italian architect), Gae Aulenti (Italian architect), Ward Bennett (American designer), Renzo Mongiardino (Italian interior designer), Paolo Pejrone (Italian landscape architect), Peter Marino (American interior designer), Alberto Pinto (Parisian interior designer), Bill Willis (American designer), Madison Cox (American garden designer), and Niki de Saint Phalle (French-American artist).

see Marella Agnelli

The Allure of Chanel by Paul Morant

see Coco Chanel

Mademoiselle Chanel by Pierre Galante

see Coco Chanel

The Windsor Style by Suzy Menkes

see Duke of Windsor, The Jewelry of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor

Beautiful People of the Café Society by Thierry Coudert

Published in 2016, Thierry Coudert does a masterful job of giving context to the amazing scrapbooks created by the Baron de Cabrol to commemorate his glamorous life.

see Rothschild Surrealist Ball, Renzo Mongiardino's Masterpiece, Duke of Windsor

The Richard Burton Diaries by Richard Burton, edited by Chris Williams

see Duke of Windsor

The Heart has its Reasons by The Duchess of Windsor

see Duke of Windsor, The Jewelry of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor

A Family Album by the Duke of Windsor (London) Windsor Revisited (Boston) by The Duke of Windsor

In his second autobiography, the Duke of Windsor shares what interests him about his story, and leaves history for the historians. His love of clothing and ceremony (inherited from his grandfather) is told from baby clothes to Oxford, becoming a king and life after abdication.

see Duke of Windsor, The Jewelry of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor

Another Man's Poison: The Life and Writing of Columnist George Frazier by Charles Fountain

see The Art of Wearing Clothes