reconstruction in print or on film, of the lives of real men and women. Together with autobiography—an individual's interpretation of his own life—it shares a venerable tradition, meeting the demands of different audiences through the ages. Among the most ancient biographies are the narrative carvings and hieroglyphic inscriptions on Egyptian tombs and temples (c.1300 B.C. ), and the cuneiform inscriptions on Assyrian palace walls (c.720 B.C. ) or Persian rock faces (c.520 B.C. ). All these records proclaimed the deeds of kings, although accuracy often gave way to glorification. Among the first biographies of ordinary men, the Dialogues of Plato (4th cent. B.C. ) and the Gospels of the New Testament (1st and 2d cent. A.D. ) reveal their respective subjects by letting each speak for himself. Even these early achievements of biography, however, lack critical balance. Equilibrium was established by Plutarch in The Parallel Lives (2d cent. A.D. ). His method was comparative, e.g., Theseus…