General Biographical Sources
Below are important biographical resources, most which are available online.
- Dictionary of Literary Biography This link opens in a new windowDetailed biographies of authors, journalists and other literary figures. Biographical and analytical essays are usually focused on a theme, e.g., American poets, 1880-1945. The same author may have more than one biographical essay if they wrote in different genres, for example.
- American Authors, 1600-1900 : a Biographical Dictionary of American LiteraturePublished in 1938, it may pick up some of the writers who were publishing in the early 20th century. Always interesting to read contemporary analyses!
- American National Biography This link opens in a new windowAn updated, online version of the Dictionary of American Biography. For example, more women and members of minority groups were added. However, in order to do so, other entries were removed. It contains fewer entries than the older edition. Provides scholarly biographies of more than 17,400 men and women from all eras and walks of life. The print version was published in 24 volumes in 1999. The signed articles are provided with bibliographies. The full text is searchable by keywords. In effect it substantially supersedes The Dictionary of American Biography.
- Biography Index This link opens in a new window
- Contemporary Authors This link opens in a new window
Print Biographical Sources
To locate biographical sources, search the Library Catalog.
Use Advanced Search
Enter "Biobibliographies," "Biographies Dictionaries," "Biographies Encyclopedias" or "Biographies Directories".
Combine with an additional search term, such as "Authors," "Literature," "American," "20th," etc.
Below are some sample searches.
- biobibliographies dictionaries american literature
- harlem renaissance biography encyclopedias
- journalists 20th american biographies dictionaries
Obituaries
Newspapers
Most obituaries appear in newspapers. To locate newspapers, view our guide How do I find newspapers? Many of our newspaper databases include a search limit for obituaries.
Obituary Indexes
Obituary indexes can be helpful in finding obituaries for an individual. Most of these indexes are only in print. Search "obituary indexes' in the Library Catalog for a listing.
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