i used to like reading books about artists- picked up Van Gogh’s massive book with all his notes, letters, paintings and commentary by people like his brother, and others- was long book but really enjoyed reading it- such a fascinating character he was- tortured in mind, but truly a great artist in his own right- very cool read-
I was raised on Benvenuto Cellini’s Autobiography as a kid. Read it again while in college and was thrilled by his discussion of comparing city eggs with country eggs for egg tempera. It was glorious going to a school that preferred original sources. We didn’t have a biology book. We had collected sources. I still prefer original books from people like Joshua Chamberlain and Longstreet.