Consult general or specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries or yearbooks to find information about persons. General encyclopedias, such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana and the Canadian Encyclopedia are good sources for brief biographies. These encyclopedias and more are located in the Reference Collection with call numbers that begin with AE5.

The following list is a selective list of biographical resources. The Library has many current and retrospective collections of short biographies, which may be international or country-specific in coverage, while others are subject-specific.

GEOGRAPHIC

To find encyclopedias or dictionaries on your topic, search QCAT using either the subject heading and the subdivision biography-dictionaries or the keywords of your topic combined with "biography" and "dictionaries".

Germany Biography Dictionaries [subject search]
Authors and biography and dictionaries [keyword search]

World

Current

Current Biography
REF CT100.C8 from 1940-

A valuable resource for biographical data on contemporary people from all professions. The essay-length entries have personal as well as career information. Includes bibliographical references. Monthly issues retained until Current Biography Yearbook received.

International Who's Who
CT120.I61 (latest on REF)

Irregular holdings, with the latest volume in Reference. Provides biographical information for notables around the world and is prefaced by a list of reigning royal houses.

Oxford Reference Online Premium

Accesses the full-text of more than 100 dictionary, language, and subject reference books published by Oxford University Press. Includes some specifically biographical reference tools, for example: A Dictionary of Political Biography and Who's Who in the Twentieth Century. Further, many of the standard encyclopedias and dictionaries included in Oxford Reference Online Premium include biographical entries.

Retrospective

Biographie universelle (Michaud) ancienne et moderne
REF CT143.B6

This forty five-volume set is a dictionary of universal biography. Individuals covered represent all times and places, but there is an emphasis on French notables.

Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia
REF CT103.C26 1998

Lists political leaders and rulers, saints, religious leaders, justices of the supreme court of the U.S., various prize winners (Nobel…) and winners in sports and games.

The New Century Cyclopedia of Names
REF PE1625.N4 1954

This three-volume set is valuable for its concise biographical information of world notables.

The Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography: a Series of Original Memoirs of Distinguished Men, of All Ages and All Nations
CT103.I3

14 volume set that looks at figures prior to World War I.

Canada

Current

Canadian Parliamentary Guide
REF JL131.C3 (1898-2002)
CA1 X9 C16 (Government Documents - latest in REF) from 1873-

Some guides are missing. The guide presents short biographies of all sitting Members of the House of Commons, the Senate, and the Provincial and Territorial Legislatures. Election results from 1867 onwards included.

Canadian Who's Who (1910-2007 irregular)
REF F5003.C35 from 1910-

Includes notable men and women from all professions. Volume one, 1910, is located in Special Collections.

Retrospective

Biographies canadiennes-francaises
REF F5009.B34

Published irregularly. We have from 1920 to 1986.

Canada's Early Women Writers

Dictionary of Canadian Biography
REF F5009.D43

This resource is a work in process. At present, the Dictionary of Canadian Biography includes individuals whose date of death or last activity occurred between the years 1000 and 1920.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography
REF FC3355.B85 1999

"With more than 1600 biographical sketches, the Dictionary covers over 300 years of Manitobans and Manitoba history". Personalities included are from the fields of politics, the arts, sports, commerce, agriculture and social life.

Dictionary of Newfoundland and Labrador Biography
REF FC2155.D52 1990

Lists biographical information about 1,500 individuals who have influenced Newfoundland and Labrador history since 1497.

First Among Equals : the Prime Minister in Canadian Life and Politics

Provides information, both profiles and speeches, on the 21 Canadian prime ministers to date.

Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography
REF CT283.D52 1978

Provides sketches on prominent Canadians deceased before 1976.

Prime Ministers of Canada
FC26.P7P763 2002 (Special Collections)

Provides a profile and a selected compilation of speeches by the Prime Ministers of Canada.

Who's Who in Canada
REF F5009.W6 (1913-2001)

An illustrated biographical record of leading Canadians from business, the professions, government, and academia, which has ceased publication as of 2001.

United States

Current

Who's Who in America
E663.W6

Latest edition in Reference, with irregular holdings starting in 1922. Leading source for information on contemporary Americans.

Retrospective

Dictionary of American Biography
REF E176.D5

Twenty volume set containing scholarly articles and bibliographies about prominent Americans who died prior to 1927. Seven supplements bring the coverage up to 1965.

National Cyclopaedia of American Biography
REF E176.N27

This dictionary is more comprehensive that the Dictionary of American Biography but lacks the scholarly approach and bibliographies characteristic of the latter work.

Who was Who in America
REF E663.W61 (1607-1985)

Consists of biographical sketches of people prominent in American history.

United Kingdom / Ireland

Current

Who's Who
DA28.W6 from 1876-

Latest volume in Reference, with irregular holdings starting in 1876. Offers brief biographical sketches of prominent people in Britain.

Retrospective

Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen
REF CT813.C4 1870 (3 vols); 1857 (9 vols)

Includes chronological index.

A Compendium of Irish Biography
REF DA916.W3 1970

Dictionary of Irish Biography

Dictionary of Irish Biography
REF CT862.B69 1988

Dictionary of National Biography. Missing Persons
REF DA28.D525 1993

Persons omitted from the original DNB.

Dictionary of Welsh Biography down to 1940
REF DA710.D5 1959

Notable Welshmen (1700-1900)
DA710.A1R5

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
REF DA28.O95 2004

Revised edition of the Dictionary of National Biography. A definitive resource for British and Commonwealth biography. Print covers from the earliest times to the year 2000 (60 volumes). Online covers from earliest times to 2004.

Who was Who
REF DA28.W63

Covers those who died between 1897 and 1980.

Europe

Current

Who's Who in France
DC705.A1W6 from 1965-

Latest volume in Reference, and ordered every second year. Includes government description and personnel listings, obituaries, who's who of the regions,information for tourists- hotels, restaurants, theatres, etc., tips for written correspondence.

Retrospective

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie
REF CT1053.A5 1967

Biographies of prominent Germans from the earliest period to the end of the 19th century.

Dictionnaire de biographie francaise
REF CT143.D57

Multi-volume dictionary of national biography, characterized by scholarly articles and lengthy bibliographies, which should be used in conjunction with Michaud's' Biographie universelle and Hoefer's Nouvelle biographie universelle shelved at REF CT143.N9.

Dizionario biografico degli Italiani
REF CT1123.D6

Coverage is from A to Labriola.

Africa

African Biographical Dictionary
REF DT18.B76 1994

Includes maps, colonial names, nations and major leaders; entries also listed by nation, field.

Dictionary of South African Biography
REF CT1924.D53 (vol. 1-3)

Supplemented by the New Dictionary of South African Biography
REF CT1924.N48 1995

A Concise Dictionary of South African Biography
REF DT1774.J69 1999

Russia

Biographical Dictionary of the Former Soviet Union
REF CT1213.V76 1992t

This English-language biographical dictionary contains entries for over 5000 notable Russians from all disciplines regardless of whether they lived in the Soviet Union or not from 1917 to the present. Entries are brief with biographical and career data and historical significance. Some entries include bibliographical references.

Who was Who in the USSR
REF CT1212.I57 1972

Covers the period 1917-1967

Who's Who in Russia since 1900
REF CT1203.M37 1997

Lists detailed biographical information on the leading political, economic, cultural, military, scientific and sporting personalities in Russia and the Soviet Union from 1900 to the present.

Asia

Biographic Dictionary of Chinese Communism, 1921-1965
REF DS778.A1K55 1971

Appendices include personal data (date of birth, native province, etc.); info. on early CCP activities, participation in important events, army, government; info. on travel and fields of work.

Biographical Dictionary and Analysis of China's Party Leadership, 1922-1988
REF DS778.A1B27 1990t

Dictionary of National Biography (India)
REF CT 1502.S46 (4 volumes)

Biographical Dictionary of Japanese History
REF DS834.B56 (1982)

Australia

Australian Dictionary of Biography
REF DU82.A9

Covers time period from 1790 to 1980. 1980 to 1990 in progress, with one volume covering from A to K.

Dictionary of Australian Biography
REF DU82.S48

Two-volume set

Latin America

Mexican Political Biographies
F1235.5 .A2 C35

4 editions covering 1884-1935, 1935-1975, 1935-1981 and 1935-1993. The latest edition only shelved in REF.

Dictionary of Latin American and Caribbean Biography
F1407.D5 1971

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture
REF F1406.E53 1996

More than a biographical dictionary, this resource is an authoritative five-volume work, which contains nearly 5,300 biographical, geographical, and thematic entries.