Fans pick 22 books like Steps in Time

By Fred Astaire,

Here are 22 books that Steps in Time fans have personally recommended if you like Steps in Time. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Goldwyn: A Biography

Nathan Morley Author Of Jack Hawkins: A Biography

From my list on memoirs and biographies from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had a passion for cinema, especially gritty British productions of the 1940s and 50s. The voices of Kathleen Harrison, Robert Beatty, Kenneth More, Dirk Bogarde, Jack Warner, and Susan Shaw can be heard nightly radiating from my TV. I’m also a huge fan of radio, in particular classic BBC shows. As a biographer, I’m known for shining a light on personalities of yesteryear – those we might recognize by name and face but know little about. My recent books include biographies on Erich Honecker (OK, he wasn’t a movie star), Jack Hawkins, and David Tomlinson (they were).

Nathan's book list on memoirs and biographies from Hollywood’s Golden Age

Nathan Morley Why did Nathan love this book?

I’ll never forget finding this biography at a secondhand bookstore just off the Kurfurstendamm in Berlin a few years ago. I took it to a small café near the zoo and read it–cover to cover–that very same day!

There is little doubt Samuel Goldwyn was Hollywood’s last tycoon. In this outstanding book, Berg beautifully tells the rags-to-riches tale of a poor Jewish glovemaker who became the most important producer in American cinema. Many great stars make appearances, including Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford. A meticulously researched and compelling tome.

By A. Scott Berg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Goldwyn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Provides a definitive portrait of Schmuel Gelbfisz, a young Pole who faced staggering obstacles to come to New York, and his rise to fame and power as Samuel Goldwyn--one of the most famous Hollywood studio figures of our time


Book cover of Up in the Clouds, Gentlemen Please

Nathan Morley Author Of Jack Hawkins: A Biography

From my list on memoirs and biographies from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had a passion for cinema, especially gritty British productions of the 1940s and 50s. The voices of Kathleen Harrison, Robert Beatty, Kenneth More, Dirk Bogarde, Jack Warner, and Susan Shaw can be heard nightly radiating from my TV. I’m also a huge fan of radio, in particular classic BBC shows. As a biographer, I’m known for shining a light on personalities of yesteryear – those we might recognize by name and face but know little about. My recent books include biographies on Erich Honecker (OK, he wasn’t a movie star), Jack Hawkins, and David Tomlinson (they were).

Nathan's book list on memoirs and biographies from Hollywood’s Golden Age

Nathan Morley Why did Nathan love this book?

Mills was the last of the generation of great British actors from the 1940s who personified the stiff-upper-lip gent.

In this autobiography, he tells the story of his part in, In Which We Serve, Ice Cold in Alex, Scott of the Antarctic, and his Oscar-winning performance in Ryan's Daughter. He was a true icon of British cinema. Great stuff.

By John Mills,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Up in the Clouds, Gentlemen Please as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sir John Mills is one of Britain's best-known, and best-loved, actors. This autobiography charts his life from the early beginnings in music hall song-and-dance routines, to the days of Cavalcade and Jill Darling to the film epics, "In Which We Serve", "Ice Cold in Alex", "Scott of the Antarctic" and his Oscar-winning performance in "Ryan's Daughter". A new chapter brings the book fully up-to-date, revealing the drama, farce and tragedy - not to mention some spectacular falls - which have been a part of a life that is as varied as it is successful.


Book cover of Not Quite a Gentleman

Nathan Morley Author Of Jack Hawkins: A Biography

From my list on memoirs and biographies from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had a passion for cinema, especially gritty British productions of the 1940s and 50s. The voices of Kathleen Harrison, Robert Beatty, Kenneth More, Dirk Bogarde, Jack Warner, and Susan Shaw can be heard nightly radiating from my TV. I’m also a huge fan of radio, in particular classic BBC shows. As a biographer, I’m known for shining a light on personalities of yesteryear – those we might recognize by name and face but know little about. My recent books include biographies on Erich Honecker (OK, he wasn’t a movie star), Jack Hawkins, and David Tomlinson (they were).

Nathan's book list on memoirs and biographies from Hollywood’s Golden Age

Nathan Morley Why did Nathan love this book?

Whilst I’ve been researching the life of Kenneth More, the talented Ronald Culver keeps popping up. I first came across him when writing one of my own books, as he played alongside David Tomlinson in a fifties war comedy.

During that period, I managed to watch most of his films–and he was not only a fine character actor, but also a gifted author. This is his own story. 

By Roland Culver,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Not Quite a Gentleman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light

Nathan Morley Author Of Jack Hawkins: A Biography

From my list on memoirs and biographies from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had a passion for cinema, especially gritty British productions of the 1940s and 50s. The voices of Kathleen Harrison, Robert Beatty, Kenneth More, Dirk Bogarde, Jack Warner, and Susan Shaw can be heard nightly radiating from my TV. I’m also a huge fan of radio, in particular classic BBC shows. As a biographer, I’m known for shining a light on personalities of yesteryear – those we might recognize by name and face but know little about. My recent books include biographies on Erich Honecker (OK, he wasn’t a movie star), Jack Hawkins, and David Tomlinson (they were).

Nathan's book list on memoirs and biographies from Hollywood’s Golden Age

Nathan Morley Why did Nathan love this book?

Recently, during a visit to Filmstaden studios near Stockholm (yes, where Ingrid and Ingmar Bergman worked) I was given a copy of this book. It is, without a doubt, the definitive biography of Hitchcock, with a thrilling opening on his life in Britain and formative years. 

By Patrick McGilligan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Alfred Hitchcock as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A fresh and definitive portrait of the Master of Suspense by acclaimed biographer Patrick McGilligan Full of fresh revelations, dark humour and cliff hanging suspense, this new biography of Alfred Hitchcock follows his life from its humble beginnings, as the son of an East End greengrocer, through an extraordinary career in which his films set new standards for cinematic invention, to his death as a Hollywood legend in Beverley Hills. * Gives a uniquely comprehensive and balanced view of Hitchcock's life, uncovering details not just of his work but also his personal life, and with an insight into how they…


Book cover of Chance and Circumstance: Twenty Years with Cage and Cunningham

Louis Menand Author Of The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War

From my list on memoirs from a wide array of people.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started my career as a graduate student studying the Victorian period, a great age for autobiography. And although autobiography is no longer taught much in English departments, I guess I retain my passion for the genre. The greatest, of course, is Rousseau’s Confessions.

Louis' book list on memoirs from a wide array of people

Louis Menand Why did Louis love this book?

Even if you know nothing about dance, this (not short) memoir takes you inside one of the most imaginative collaborations of the twentieth-century avant-garde, and gives you the flavor of some of its extraordinary characters—not only Cage and Cunningham, but Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Morton Feldman, and others.

By Carolyn Brown,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chance and Circumstance as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Carolyn Brown, one of the most renowned dancers of the last half-century, lived at the center of New York's bold and vibrant artistic community, which included not only dancers and choreographers but composers and painters as well. Brown's memoir recounts her own remarkable twenty-year tenure with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and provides a first-hand account of a pivotal period in twentieth-century art.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Brown developed close relationships with musical director John Cage and set-designer Robert Rauschenberg and with Cunningham himself. Brown's memoir reveals the personal dynamics between the reserved and moody Cunningham and the…


Book cover of A Dance Autobiography

Adin Dalton Author Of Fate

From my list on the artistry of ballet and classical music.

Why am I passionate about this?

P. I. Tchaikovsky is a world-famous composer but few people know anything about him. Much of his life was hidden by the Soviet Union due to his homosexuality. As information finally came to light, the mystery of his death in 1893 became an obsession for me. The truth of it lies beyond the rumors of suicide or cholera, as particular circumstances exposed in my novel clearly show. I am a ballet historian and the writing of Fate was an eight-year endeavor. Readers of Fate can now be the proverbial fly on the wall while Tchaikovsky lives his life and creates his major works.

Adin's book list on the artistry of ballet and classical music

Adin Dalton Why did Adin love this book?

For an intriguing, first-hand account of the art and life of the greatest ballerina of our time, don't miss this grand read. Natalia Makarova, the prima ballerina of them all gives this thrilling autobiography life as she describes not only her roles at the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg and at American Ballet Theatre in New York City, but also her daring escape from KGB agents in London where she defected. Glorious photography crowns this amazing achievement. On a personal note, my life changed after seeing her dance—first in a video of Giselle and then later in person at the Metropolitan Opera House. 

Book cover of Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

Duncan Tonatiuh Author Of Game of Freedom: Mestre Bimba and the Art of Capoeira

From my list on celebrating Black music dance with illustrations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been writing and illustrating books for fifteen years, and I am passionate about the art of making picture books. I love music and dance too. While making this list, I was amazed by how different visual artists that I admire—and who have very different styles—were able to capture movement, rhythm, and energy. I was also fascinated by how the different authors crafted their stories and yet all of them managed to celebrate Black culture and resilience. 

Duncan's book list on celebrating Black music dance with illustrations

Duncan Tonatiuh Why did Duncan love this book?

Christian Robinson is one of my favorite illustrators. His images are very free and childlike while also being incredibly poignant and strongly designed. His artwork pairs beautifully with Hruby Powell’s exuberant text.

The book recounts Josephine Baker’s extraordinary life, from growing up poor in Missouri to becoming a beloved dancer and star in Paris. Both text and images denounce with wit and force the cruel segregation that Black people, including Josephine, experienced in the United States for a large part of the twentieth century. 

By Patricia Hruby Powell, Christian Robinson (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Josephine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

An emotionally powerful biography told in verse of a dancer, singer, comedienne, and enduring figure - Josephine Baker - from her birth in the slums, her fantastic success, and her fight against racial prejudice.


Book cover of Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart

Marcia DeSanctis Author Of 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go

From my list on women in France.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a former television news producer who worked for Barbara Walters and Peter Jennings at ABC News, and at Dateline NBC and CBS’s 60 Minutes. I was always a journalist, but mid-career, I switched lanes from TV to writing. Since then, I've contributed essays and stories to many publications, among them Vogue, Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and others. I mostly write about travel, but also cover beauty, wellness, international development, and health. I'm the recipient of five Lowell Thomas Awards for excellence in travel journalism, including one for Travel Journalist of the Year. My book of essays, A Hard Place to Leave: Stories From a Restless Life comes out in May 2022.

Marcia's book list on women in France

Marcia DeSanctis Why did Marcia love this book?

I can’t remember a 600-page book that I’ve ever read so fast and yes, so hungrily. Baker’s trajectory defies credulity. Above all, it is the paradigmatic story of a Black American targeted by racism in her own country, who found acceptance and fame (and in Baker’s case, so much more) in Paris. From the slums of St. Louis, at nineteen she became an instant sensation with her dazzling performance at La Revue Nègre. She strolled the Champs Élysées with a cheetah and, during the war, hid Jewish refugees in her château in the Dordogne. In the 1963 March on Washington, she spoke alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, the only woman to address the crowd that day. With exhaustive research that never weighs down the narrative, author Jean-Claude Baker, her unofficial thirteenth child who worked for her towards the end of her life, paints a portrait of a hugely complex woman.…

By Jean-Claude Baker, Chris Chase,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Josephine Baker as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Based on twenty years of research and thousands of interviews, this authoritative biography of performer Josephine Baker (1906-1975) provides a candid look at her tempestuous life. Born into poverty in St. Louis, the uninhibited chorus girl became the sensation of Europe and the last century's first black sex symbol. A heroine of the French Resistance in World War II, she entranced figures as diverse as de Gaulle, Tito, Castro, Princess Grace, two popes, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Yet Josephine was also, as one critic put it, "a monster who made Joan Crawford look like the Virgin Mary." Jean-Claude Baker's…


Book cover of The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince

Matt Thorne Author Of Prince: The Man and His Music

From my list on by Prince associates.

Why am I passionate about this?

Having spent seven years researching and writing about Prince (and another year updating the book), I spoke to as many people who worked and lived with him as I could. While my book is rich with information gleaned from interviews, alongside my own analysis, there were a few people who didn’t talk to me. Of the above, I did talk to Dez Dickerson, but the others were holding off (presumably because their own books were in the works). All the books below work as perfect compliments to mine and are all must-haves for any Prince fan’s purple library.

Matt's book list on by Prince associates

Matt Thorne Why did Matt love this book?

Prince was different things to different people and one of the things you’ll discover through these books is that they work as a mosaic showing different sides of him. Only two people will ever know what it was like to be married to Prince, and Mayte is one of them.

By Mayte Garcia,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Most Beautiful as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In The Most Beautiful, a title inspired by the hit song Prince wrote about their legendary love story, Mayte Garcia for the first time shares the deeply personal story of their relationship and offers a singular perspective on the music icon and their world together: from their unconventional meeting backstage at a concert (and the long-distance romance that followed), to their fairy-tale wedding (and their groundbreaking artistic partnership), to the devastating losses that ultimately dissolved their romantic relationship for good. Throughout it all, they shared a bond more intimate than any other in Prince's life. No one else can tell…


Book cover of Princess Naomi Helps a Unicorn

Kimberley Paterson Author Of Mysty the Mystical Unicorn

From my list on that capture the magic of unicorns.

Why am I passionate about this?

My only granddaughter and her love and fascination with unicorns is the reason why I dedicated Mysty the Mystical Unicorn to her! I hope that Mysty inspires children everywhere to focus on their imagination, creativity and to always believe in themselves! My desire to write a children’s picture book started at a very young age, reading is a passion of mine that my own children inherited and now my grandchildren too! My wish is that all children will love Mysty and enjoy her adventures as well as the five books that I have recommended. Always keep on believing in magic, miracles, and yourselves!

Kimberley's book list on that capture the magic of unicorns

Kimberley Paterson Why did Kimberley love this book?

This is a beautiful story about the friendship and bonds between sisters, not just ordinary sisters, but Princess sisters Naomi and Miranda. They were very close but like all siblings, sometimes, they did not get along so Princess Naomi left their castle where she came upon a beautiful little unicorn that had fallen asleep among the red poppies (known for putting unicorns to sleep). She managed to wake the unicorn and they started out to find the unicorn’s baby that was missing. After her fun-filled adventure, she realized she was no longer angry with her sister and could not wait to share her story with Princess Miranda! The bond between family is strong and a wonderful thing.

By Once Upon a Dance, Ethan Roffler (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Princess Naomi Helps a Unicorn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Unicorns and Horses and Snakes, oh my!

Princess Naomi Helps a Unicorn is a 2021 Mom's Choice Gold Award Recipient.

Interactive movement wrapped up in a charming story of sibling angst, anger management, compassion, and triumph. Grown-ups sit; kiddos move and practice dance fundamentals.

Fed up with her annoying sister, Naomi storms out of the castle, only to discover a unicorn in need of help. With a sense of purpose, she quickly forgets her anger.

Ballerina Konora is featured on each page as optional movement guide for kids who want to get up and dance.

“Cheerful and heartwarming, this movement…


Book cover of Goldwyn: A Biography
Book cover of Up in the Clouds, Gentlemen Please
Book cover of Not Quite a Gentleman

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Interested in France, ballet, and Berlin?

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Berlin 110 books