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Finding Author Biographies INDEXES  |  REFERENCE WORKS   |  WEB LINKS  |  PERIODICALS When reading a work of fiction or autobiography, one should learn something about the book's author and the historical and social context of the author's life.  The Smith Library Center has many different sources for biographical information.  This guide lists sources that provide this type of information or that direct you to other print or electronic sources where biographies may be found. This page is intended to introduce a few select resources, both on the Web and in the Smith Library Center print collection, that are particularly useful for finding author biographies. INDEXES Author Biographies Master Index REFERENCE, 1st floor 928 Au81 A name index to individuals described in more than 300 biographical dictionaries.  Probably the best place to begin if you know little about the person. Biography Index Index Table, REFERENCE, 1st floor Covers important people from all periods and all countries and is one of the best places to start biographical research, especially on contemporary people and recently published material. Biography and Genealogy Master Index A comprehensive index to more than 12.7 million biographical sketches in more than 3,400 volumes and editions of current and retrospective reference books, covering both contemporary and historical figures throughout the world. Gale Literary Databases Includes full-text access to Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, and the Dictionary of Literary Biography. It provides detailed information on the lives and writings of nearly 100,000 authors, along with selected critical reactions to their works. All three databases provide access to author,title and subject/genre. REFERENCE WORKS To find printed reference material relevant to your topic start with the library's online catalog. Do a Reference Materials search using keywords to describe your topic. You can also check the library's Web pages for subject guides for specific topics such as History, Political Science, Economics, etc. to find other suggested sources. Below are a few titles to get you started. To find call number and location information, search the Voyager catalog. American National Biography REFERENCE, 1st floor 920.073 Am354 Author Biographies Master Index REFERENCE, 1st floor 928 Au81 1997 A name index to individuals described in more than 300 biographical dictionaries.  Probably the best place to begin if you know little about the person. Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction REFERENCE, 1st floor 809.3 B454b This six-volume set provides biographical and critical comment on writers of popular fiction. Biography Index Index Table, REFERENCE, 1st floor Covers important people from all periods and all countries and is one of the best places to start biographical research, especially on contemporary people and recently published material. Contemporary Authors REFERENCE, 1st floor 928.1 C767lbl A biographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journals, drama, motion pictures, television and other fields. Current Biography Yearbooks with cumulative index REFERENCE, 1st floor 920.02 C936 (Current issues in Periodical Services) Important source for information on historical and contemporary figures. In-depth biographies are provided from 1940 through the present. Dictionary of Literary Biography REFERENCE, 1st floor 928.1 D561 The DLB documents the lives and careers of authors from all eras and genres.  In addition to providing biographical and critical studies, DLB presents bibliographic information about each author's writings as well as sources for further reading. Encyclopedia of World Biography REFERENCE, 1st floor 920 En19 Encyclopedia of World Biography, a 17-volume set, represents a rich source of biographical information on more than 7,000 people, past and present.  Most entries include illustrations or portraits, and all entries include suggestions for further reading. Something About the Author REFERENCE, 1st floor 928 So54 Biographical information on established as well as emerging authors and illustrators. Also look for works devoted to specific groups of people, such as the ones below: Dictionary of Hispanic Biography REFERENCE, 1st floor 920.00926 D561 Provides in-depth biographical information on a selection of both historical and contemporary figures recognized as notable by the Hispanic community. Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature REFERENCE, 1st floor 860.0998 En19 The entry for each writer consists of a critical overview of his/her literary work, a brief biographical sketch, a selected list of works, and list of further readings. Jewish American Women Writers:  A Bio-Bibliographical and Critical Sourcebook REFERENCE, 1st floor 810.98924 J54 Supplies information on biography, bibliography, and a survey of criticism on Jewish American novelists, poets, and playwrights. Women In World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia REFERENCE, 1st floor 920.72 W8246 WEB LINKS Biography.com This site maintained by A&E features over 20,000 biographies largely drawn from the Cambridge Enycyclopedia Database and The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography. Each entry offers a brief summary of the person's accomplishments and there are many cross references. Note: This source is optimized for use with Internet Explorer only. Biographical Dictionary This dictionary includes more than 25,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day. The site provides the user with very short biographical sketches. Nobel Prize Internet Archive You can click on any Nobel category (literature, physics, chemistry, peace, economics, philosophy and medicine) to see an annotated hyperlinked list of all Nobel laureates in that category. Online Literary Criticism Online Literary Criticism contains 1,352 critical and biographical websites about authors and their works that can be browsed by author, key title, or by literary period. (British and American literature only.) Voices from the Gaps: Women Writers of Color Voices from the Gaps is a World Wide Web project that focuses on the lives and works of women writers of color in North America.   Each author page presents biographical, critical, and bibliographical information about the writers and links to other resources on the World Wide Web which contain significant information about the writer. PERIODICALS To find holdings and location information for specific periodicals titles (both print and online), search the online catalog. To find citations or online full-text for articles in periodicals on your topic, try the resources listed above under Indexes.