Best Autobiography

Football- Brian Clough or Alex Ferguson(also started reading Robbo but never finished it as I don't generally read autobiography but was interesting)
Celebrity- Sharon Osbourne(was actually quite good)
Comedy- Chubby Brown, Spike Milligan-Hitler my part in his downfall
True Crime- Charles bronson or Lenny McLean or Pretty Boy Roy Shaw. Also a mention to Billy Cribb(tarmac Warrior), The Brick by Paul Debrick and Stop the ride by dave Courtney.
Sad but true- The railway man by Eric Lomax.
Wild card- Bill Bryson, Notes from a small island(although not an autobiography in the true sense it is still in a similar genre)
 
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After years reading science fiction and then fantasy, I watched an interview on Parkinson with David Niven, but never thought much more of it till I spied his autobiography in the library I frequented far too often...

David Niven - The Moon's a Balloon
He came across as a proper gentleman of his time
After that I devoured them, and some of those I remember enjoying very vividly, some recently :

Steve Martin - Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
Spike Milligan - War Memoirs
Muhammad Ali The Greatest: My Own Story
Keith Richards - Life
Matthew McConaughey - Greenlights
Groucho Marx - Groucho and Me: The Autobiography
Michael J. Fox - Lucky Man
Patti Smith - Just Kids
Bob Dylan - Chronicles Volume 1
Dave Grohl - The Storyteller

A shout for this as it touched the local nerve...Bob Mortimer - And Away

In reality I could probably go on for pages but these came to mind so...
 
Bruce Dickinson - What does this button do.
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Total recall.
Bob Mortimer - And away.
David Jason - My life.
 
Just to add - not the best ever, but surprisingly good - Tyson Fury - Behind the mask.
 
Old school, Richard Dimbleby ( father of Jonathan and David) fascinating insight into the 1930s - 1950s . Especially him being a reporter on the Italian atrocities in Ethiopia and on the discovery of Auswitz.

For a belly laugh, one two that will be familiar to older posters. David Nivens " the moon is a ballon" and " " stop the world I want to get off" is a great accountbof Hollywood in its heyday.
Ali's biog by Arther Haley is on of the best written biogs ever.
 
I will second Ali’s book but would also like to add the following:

The Marine from Mandalay - This is the true story of a Royal Marine from Middlesbrough who was wounded by shrapnel in Mandalay and undergoes a long solitary march to flee the Japanese and finds his way back through India to Britain. On his way he has many encounters and adventures and helps British and Indian refugees.

My uncle worked with this man and he never mentioned it once until my uncle was sat in the cabin reading the book. Even then he was unassuming.

Albert Pierrepoint, The last hangman.
 
Paul McGrath’s is a quality read.

Mad, bad and dangerous to know - Ranulph Fiennes

Step by Step - Simon Reeves

The Moons a Balloon - David Niven

Read Michael Parkinson’s book and changed my opinion of him being a good guy to a complete tosser.

I’ve just read Bob’s book and although enjoyable, I have read a lot better. Well worth a read and gives a good insight into the man.

Bobby Robson’s is a good read.

Give Ray Kennedy’s book a go. He was some footballer.

Too many to mention.

Good shout - Paul McGrath.
Fascinating read
 
Both the large tomes I read on JFK and Lord Nelson changed my views on history - in so much as the largely potted versions we become used to are a disservice to actual events and how they shape those people in the time they become famous for.

One of the reasons I feel very much against people trying to re write history for ideological purposes, rather than objectively ( or as much as ).

For something lighter - and perhaps not a true autobiography ( only he knows) is Unreliable Memoirs by Clive James - at times laff out loud. More so if you can hear his voice whilst reading it.
 
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