Start out with:
| Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) |
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Type of Resource: Full text
Coverage: Limited to people who died before 31 December 2000
The Oxford DNB aims to provide full, accurate, concise, and readable articles on the lives of noteworthy people of the British Isles and their connections overseas, from the earliest times to the end of the year 2000. |
Or:
| American National Biography (ANB Online) |
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Type of Resource: Full text
Coverage: Limited to deceased persons; updated quarterly
"Offers portraits of more than 18,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation." Based on the American National Biography (ANB, 24 volumes, 1999) and its supplements, American National Biography (ANB Online) is "updated quarterly, with hundreds of new entries each year and revisions of previously published entries to enhance their accuracy and currency. The ANB Online features thousands of illustrations, more than 80,000 hyperlinked cross-references, links to select web sites, and powerful search capabilities." |
Or:
| Dictionary of Literary Biography |
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Type of Resource: Full text
Coverage: Authors living or deceased
Provides access to more than 11,500 biographical essays from 300 Dictionary of Literary Biography volumes focusing on all genres and time periods of American and British literature and selected other literatures. (Documentary volumes are not included.) The essays of DLB outline the lives and careers of authors from many eras and genres and summarize the critical response to their work. |
Other Significant Resources
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| Biography Resource Center |
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Type of Resource: Full text
Provides biographical articles on over 320,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. It combines nearly 415,000 biographies from more than 780 volumes of over 130 reference sources such as Contemporary Authors, Encyclopedia of World Biography, Newsmakers, Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Contemporary Musicians, Historic World Leaders, Notable Twentieth-Century Scientists, Contemporary Black Biography, Religious Leaders of America, International Dictionary of Art and Artists, Writers Directory, and many more, with over 2.5 million full-text articles from 250 magazines. |
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| Biography and Genealogy Master Index |
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Type of Resource: Index
Indexes current, readily available reference sources, as well as the most important retrospective works that cover individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas of the world. The total number of biographical sketches indexed by BGMI is now more than 13.6 million. |
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