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Contents
Introduction
Reference Books
• General Biographical Resources
• Specialized Biographical
Resources
• Arts and Humanities
• Literature
• Natural Sciences
• Social Sciences
Finding Biographies in the Catalog
Finding Biographies in Databases
and Indexes
Finding Biographies on the Internet
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Biographies can provide valuable supplementary material for research papers and projects in a variety of fields. Naturally, they are an indispensable resource for researching the lives, thoughts, and works of historical figures. But they also prove to be fertile ground for papers about historical events and ideas since they offer the perspectives of the individuals who shaped those events and ideas. Biographies can also greatly illuminate the literary works of authors, poets, and playwrights, since the themes and characters of those works often have a correspondence to events and people in the lives of their creators.
The guide below highlights some of the best biographical resources available at the Geisel Library, and explains how to locate biographies on specific individuals.
In the Reference Collection, there are numerous books containing short to medium-length biographies. Many of these reference works span multiple volumes. To find a biography on a specific person, look under the person's last name in the Index, which is normally located at the back of the final volume of a multi-volume set. Here is a selection of the most important biographical reference works.
General Biographical Resources
American National Biography
Ref CT213 .A68
Black Women in America
Ref E185.86 .B542
Current Biography Yearbook
Ref CT100 .C8
Dictionary of American Biography
Ref E176 .D564
Dictionary of National Biography (Great Britain)
Ref DA28 .D55
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Ref AE5 .E364 (print version)
Notable American Women
Ref CT3260 .N574
Notable Black American Men
Ref E185.86 .N68
Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives
Ref CT213 .S37
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Specialized Biographical Resources
Arts and Humanities
Butler's Lives of the Saints
Ref BX4654 .B8
Dictionary of Art (Grove)
Ref N31 .D5
Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects
Ref NA40.M25
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
Ref ML100 .N48
Oxford Dictionary of Popes
Ref BX955.2 .K45
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Ref B51 .R68 (print version)
Literature
African American Writers
Ref PS153.N5 A344
American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies
Ref PS129.A55
British Writers
Ref PR85.B688
Cyclopedia of World Authors
Ref PN451 .M36
European Writers
Ref PN501 .E9
Latin American Writers
Ref PQ7081.A1 L37
Modern American Women Writers
Ref PS151 .M54
Natural Sciences
Biographical Dictionary of Mathematicians
Ref QA28 .B534
Biographical Dictionary of Scientists
Ref Q141 .B528
Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists
Ref Q141 .B53
Dictionary of Scientific Biography
Ref Q141 .D5
Social Sciences
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Ref JK1010 .A5 (print version)
Dictionary of American Military Biography
Ref U52 .D53
The Presidents
Ref E176.1 .P918
The Supreme Court justices: illustrated biographies
Ref KF8744 .S86
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Locating biographical books on specific individuals is fairly straightforward. In the Geisel Library's online catalog, conduct a search by Subject for the name of the person of interest. For most individuals, you should enter their name as follows: Lastname, Firstname. However, for individuals who are typically referred to by their first name only (such as ancient Greek philosophers, certain Renaissance artists, popes, and others), simply type in their first name.
Here are some examples of biographical subject searches:
- Disraeli, Benjamin
- Faulkner, William
- Alexander the Great
- John Paul II
- Raphael
If you fail to locate any biographies about your individual in the Geisel online catalog, try conducting a Subject search on the person's name in Worldcat (using the same form as described above). Within each Worldcat book record is a "Request ILL" link with which you can request that the book be delivered to Geisel Library via our Interlibrary Loan service.
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Biography Index (Ref Index Area)
These annual volumes index biographical books and journal articles published in a given year. Although supplanted in part by online library databases, these indexes are still essential for locating older biographies (particularly before 1985). Each volume is organized alphabetically by last name, so you can easily check whether your person of interest was profiled in that year. Write down the citations of articles and books, and use the library's Catalog and Journal Finder to determine if we own them.
Literature Resource Center
The Literature Resource Center is an excellent source for biographical information on writers. This online database contains lengthy essays that examine the life and works of authors from all countries and time periods. Most are drawn from highly-respected specialized reference works such as the Dictionary of Literary Biography and Contemporary Authors. At the bottom of many essays is a list of "further readings that includes books and articles with further biographical information about the author.
MasterFILE Premier
This database provides full-text access to over 84,000 biographies on people from all professions, countries, and time periods. On the main search screen, type the person's name in the Find box. Then scroll down and limit the Publication Type to "Biography" in order to retrieve biographical profiles only.
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American President
Sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, this website offers in-depth biographies of all US presidents. For a given president, start with the "Life in Brief" profile, then use the Biography menu on the left side to read essays on such topics as the president's "Life Before the Presidency" and "Family Life."
Biography.com
This website maintained by the A&E television network contains a searchable database of over 25,000 brief biographies. Users can also browse by occupational category.
Catholic Encyclopedia List of Popes
This convenient website provides quick access to biographies on every pope through 1914, as originally published in the Catholic Encyclopedia. For bios of more recent popes, search the pope's name in the New Catholic Encyclopedia.
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
This is an online version of the most authoritative biographical source on figures in Canadian history who died prior to 1930. It can be browsed or searched, and the profiles are generous in length.
MacTutor Index of Biographies of Mathematicians
A collection of informative biographies on mathematicians throughout history, with each entry providing a list of references to other books and websites worth investigating. The index can be browsed alphabetically or chronologically.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
This scholarly resource on philosophical concepts and schools of thought also contains detailed biographies of philosophers from all time periods. The profiles include a segment on the philosopher's life along with discussion of his/her key works and theories.
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