Specialized Biographical Sources

The Research Libraries hold an impressive number of specialized biographical sources, though only a few of the most important are given here.

Literary | Historical | Religion | Others

Literary

American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present [Detroit: St. James Press, 2000] 4 vols. *R-SNE 00-470.

Contemporary Authors (Detroit: Gale, 1962- ) 123 vols., in progress,*RR-AB. The biographical sketches in this work cover living writers from many countries but with an Anglo-American bias, and provide personal information about the biographee in addition to writings, work in progress, and biographical sources. The writers analyzed represent many fields including humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences. The main series is supplemented by the new revision series and the autobiography series. The index in the most recently published volume provides access to entries in the entire set.

Cyclopedia of World Authors, edited by Frank N. Magill, [Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1997] 5 vols. *R-AB 98-578 International in scope, provides biographical and critical information, with bibliographies. Index by author and geographical locale; time line included.

Dictionary of Literary Biography (Detroit: Gale, 1978- ), 64 vols., in progress.*R-AB 70-1061. Each volume of this impressive work is devoted to a different period, style, or dimension of American or British literary history (e.g., Victorian novelists, American journalists, Afro-American fiction writers). Within each volume are substantive essays discussing the contributions and significance of representative authors; these entries include not only biographical data but also a list of the author's writings, bibliographies on the author, and a selection of biographical and critical works. This work is supplemented by the Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook (Detroit: Gale, 1981- ) and the Dictionary of Literary Biography Documentary Series (Detroit: Gale, 1982- ). An index covering all three sets cumulates in the latest volume of the main set. The supplementary sets are shelved with the main series in the Reading Room.

Directory of American Scholars, 10th edition (Detroit: Gale group, 2002], 6 vols. *RR-AB 02-2171. Each volume of this work provides brief biographical data on living American and Canadian scholars (including their publications) within specific academic disciplines. Volume 6 includes indexes by name, academic specialty, and college affiliation. For earlier editions of this work, consult a librarian at the Information Desk in Room 315.

Historical

Annotated Index of Medieval Women [New York: M. Wiener Pub., 1992] *R-SNE 92-17460

Contemporary Black Biography [Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1982- ], 33 vols., in progress. *R-AB 92-415 Essays on famous black personalities, past and present; although international in scope, most entries deal with Americans. Bibliographies included.

Extraordinary Women of the Medieval and Renaissance World: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Carole Levin and others [Westport, CT; London: Greenwood Press, 2000] JFF 00-16731

The Late Medieval Age of Crisis and Renewal, 1300-1500: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Clayton J. Drees [Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001] *R-BTH 01-142

Latin American Lives [New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1998] *R-AGU 00-9274

Renaissance and Reformation, 1500-1620: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Jo Eldridge Carney [Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001] *R-BTT 01-141

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Who's Who in the Middle Ages [Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001] *R-BTH 01-6519

Truhart, Peter. Regents of Nations: Systematic Chronology of States and their Political Representatives in Past and Present: A Biographical Reference Book [Munich; New York: Sauer, 1984-1988], 3 vols. in 4 *R-AB 85-2066 A list of the rulers and heads of state of the world from ancient times to present, arranged geographically. Valuable for its inclusion of leaders of sub-divisions like provinces. This is now being revised by a new edition, in progress, with the same title, whose call number is *R-AB 01-146.

Tyerman, Christopher. Who's Who in Early Medieval England, 1066-1272 [London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 1996] JFD 96-18903

Religion

Bibliotheca Sanctorum [Rome: Instituto Giovanni XXIII, 1961-1969] 12 vols. and separate index volume JFF 98-1511

Bowden, Henry W. Dictionary of American Religious Biography, 2^nd ed. (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1993) *R-AB 93-11016 Presented here are biographical sketches of major figures in American religious history (all deceased); the bibliographies include works by and about the biographee.

Butler, Alban. Butler's Lives of the Saints [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press; Tunbridge Wells: Burns and Oates, 1995-2000] 12 vols. *R-ZDK 96-4907

The Complete Who's Who in the Bible, edited by Paul Gardner [London: Marshall Pickering, 1995] *R- *YID 96-4924

Lockyear, Herbert. All the Men of the Bible; All the Women of the Bible [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1996] * R- *YID 96-12780

Others

American Men and Women of Science, 15th edition (New York: Bowker, 1982), 7 vols. *RR-AB 72-310. This work provides brief personal information on 130,000 living individuals active in the physical and biological sciences. This series is limited to American and Canadian scholars, but does include foreign nationals living in the two countries. Earlier editions (issued at irregular intervals) also listed social and behavioral scientists; for these, inquire at the Information Desk in Room 315. A cumulative index for first fourteen editions of this work is entitled American Men and Women of Science: Cumulative Index (New York: Bowker, 1983) *R-AB 85-1851, or at the Information Desk at Room 315.

Chambers Biographical Dictionary of Women, edited by Melanie Parry [Edinburgh: Chambers, 1996] *R-SNE 96-16428

Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Charles C. Gillispie, editor-in-chief. [New York: Scribner, 1970-1980] 16 vols., with vol.. 15 a supplement and vol. 16 an index. *R-AB Scholarly biographies of scientists from all periods and places; extensive bibliographies. Recent supplements, numbered vols. 17 and 18, have the call number *R-AB- 00-787. Another copy is available at the Science, Industry, and Business Library.

International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (New York: Macmillan; London: Free Press, 1968-1980).*R-SB. This 17-volume work contains approximately 400 biographical articles, including bibliographies, on well-known social scientists deceased at time of publication or born before 1891. Coverage is extended with the encyclopedia's biographical supplement (v. 18), published in 1979. This volume contains an additional 215 articles on social scientists deceased since preparation of the original set or born prior to 1909

Notable Black American Women, edited by Jessie Carney Smith [Detroit: Gale Research, 1992] *R-AB 92-3254 Esaays on famous black women in the United States, both past and present. Supplemented by Notable Black American Women: Book II, edited by Jessie Carney Smith [Detroit: Gale Research, 1996] *R-AB 98-2971. Both volumes have bibliographies.

Notable Native Americans, edited by Sharon Malinowski [New York: Gale Research, 1995] *R-HBM 95-6069