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-RMRR PS147. A42

Cyclopedia of World Authors, edited by Frank N. Magill, 3^rd ed. (Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1997), 5 vols. *R-RMRR PN451 .M36. 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- ), 324 vols., in progress. *R-RMRR PN451 .D53; also available electronically. Each volume of this impressive work is devoted to a different period, style, or dimension of world literature with a particular focus on American or British literary history (e.g., Victorian novelists, American journalists, African 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, (Lancaster, PA: Science Press, 1942- ). Latest edition under *R-RMRR LA2311 D598. This resource provides brief biographical data on living American and Canadian scholars (including their publications) within specific academic disciplines. Indexes are arranged 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-RMRR CT3220 .A56.

Contemporary Black Biography (Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1982- ), 63 vols., in progress. *R-RMRR CT215 .C66. 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-RMRR CB353 .L38.

Latin American Lives (New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1998) *R-RMRR CT502 .E542.

Renaissance and Reformation, 1500-1620: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Jo Eldridge Carney (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001) *R-RMRR CT759 .R46.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Who's Who in the Middle Ages (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001) *R-RMRR CT114 .S56.

Truhart, Peter. Regents of Nations: Systematic Chronology of States and their Political Representatives in Past and Present: A Biographical Reference Book, 2^nd ed. (Munich: Sauer, 2000- ), 4 vols. *R-RMRR D107 .T78. 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. For earlier edition, check CATNYP. b6107771

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-RMRR BL72 .B68. 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 and suppl. *R-RMRR BX4654 .B8.

The Complete Who's Who in the Bible, edited by Paul Gardner (London: Marshall Pickering, 1995) *R-RMRR BS570 .C645.

Lockyear, Herbert. All the Men of the Bible; All the Women of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1996) *R-RMRR BS571 .L59.

Others

American Men and Women of Science, (New York: R.R. Bowker, 1971- ), latest edition under *R-RMRR Q141 .A512. . 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, check CATNYP. Also check CATNYP for locations of other copies of the latest edition. A cumulative index for first fourteen editions of this work is entitled American Men and Women of Science: Cumulative Index and is available under the same call number.

Chambers Biographical Dictionary of Women, edited by Melanie Parry (Edinburgh: Chambers, 1996) *R-RMRR CT3202 .C48.

Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Charles C. Gillispie, editor-in-chief. (New York: Scribner, 1970-1980), 18 vols., with vol..15 a supplement and vol. 16 an index and vols. 17 and 18 also supplements.*R-RMRR Q141 .D5. Scholarly biographies of scientists from all periods and places; extensive bibliographies. Another copy is available at the Science, Industry, and Business Library.

International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier, 2001), 26 vols. *R-RMRR H41 .I58. The definitive work on the social and behavioral sciences, including approximately 200 biographies of noted social scientists and references to many more in the articles salient to their scholarly interests.

International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (New York: Macmillan; London: Free Press, 1968-1980), 19 vols. JFF 92-1819. This resource 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-RMRR E185.96 .N68. Essays 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) under same call number. Both volumes have bibliographies. For other locations, check CATNYP.

Notable Native Americans, edited by Sharon Malinowski (New York: Gale Research, 1995) *R-RMRR E89 .N67.