The Confessions of St Augustine - his own 'story' though, not a biography. He lived AD354-430. Bishop of Hippo, Nr Carthage from AD 396. Fascinating stuff. 'Oh Lord make me virtuous, but not yet' is his most famous saying.

Dido

Paul Gallico wrote The Steadfast Man which is a life of St. Patrick.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Steadfast Man.

The Life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd is well written. It sets More's life against the history and culture of the time. I highly recommend it. I admit to a bias, as More is one of my favorite historical characters as well as fitting into the saintly category. The book, even with that as a factor, was in no way a disappointment.

Thank you so much for these suggestions. I think the closest to what this person wants--a well-researched current biography--is the book about Thomas More. I did turn that up on Amazon and am glad to have someone here recommend it.

Any additional ideas would be very welcome. This has proven to be a tough request to fulfill. Why didn't he ask me in September instead of December?

Peter Brown wrote a biography of St. Augustine called Augustine of Hippo. There are several good biographies available for St. Francis of Assisi. I am sure there are many others. You might also point your friend to the Catholic Encyclopedia. The entries are necessarily shorter, but give a good overview of many figures from history.

Here is a link that might be useful: Catholic Encyclopedia

Try this link-it may have what you are looking for.

Here is a link that might be useful: Catholic Online Bookstore-Saints