But some popular writers simply become biography factories, churning out a new one on some well-known figure every year (or more), just in time for Christmas, often repackaging old myths and inaccuracies.

People love biographies, and I am regularly asked to recommend good ones during the lead-up to Christmas. One of the most frustrating things about the bookselling business is that there is no necessary correlation between the prominent placement of books at the bookstore, or the review of them in newspapers and magazines, and the enduring quality of those books. True, bestselling books are often very well written (lively prose is the specialty of the trade press), but from a historical perspective, they often lack substance or new research.

Nowhere is the problem more acute than in biographies of America’s Founders. Don’t get me wrong: there are popular biographies of the Founders, including ones written by non-academic historians, that are terrific. For example, I admire Ron Chernow’s books, especially his George Washington biography, for which Chernow mastered Washington’s own writings, as well as the historical literature on him, and then brought that knowledge to a popular audience. [My review of Chernow is here.]

But some popular writers simply become biography factories, churning out a new one on some well-known figure every year (or more), just in time for Christmas, often repackaging old myths and inaccuracies. Those sorts of books are readily available at Barnes and Noble and your airport’s bookstore, too.

So, as a public service announcement, here are five biographies I heartily recommend for your Christmas list. I have limited myself to religious biographies (ones of particular interest to Anxious Bench readers) written by scholars, but ones which speak to a more general audience.

-Richard Carwardine, Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power.

-Catherine Brekus, Sarah Osborn’s World: The Rise of Evangelical Christianity in Early America. -Alan Jacobs, The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis..

-Paul Gutjahr, Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy.

-Barry Hankins, Francis Schaeffer and the Shaping of Evangelical America.

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