The Beethoven Compendium by Barry Cooper

Not a biography, but an examination of everything Beethoven by four different editors. Not the type of book you would read from cover to cover, but an exhaustive reference to his life, influences, music, writings, portraits, career, students, and so on and so forth. Highly recommended for the serious amateur, music student, or professional.

Link to Amazon: The Beethoven Compendium (A Guide to Beethoven's Life and Music) [UNABRIDGED] (Paperback)