Biographical Sources - Find Biographical Sources - Class Guides at Smith College Libraries

Specialized Biographical Sources

Dictionary of Literary Biography
Lengthy literary biographies covering past & present authors, historians, journalists, screenwriters, publishers, and playwrights.
Gale Literary Index
Sources for biographies of writers in many disciplines.
Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
Full text articles on scientists, from classical antiquity to modern times.
Politics in America [CQ]
Profiles of members of Congress - personalities, political styles, legislative agendas, political ambitions, and reputations.
Deutsche Biographie
Covers German women and men who have made significant political, economic, social, scientific, technical, or artistic achievements.
Dictionary of Irish Biography
Covers Irish men and women who made a significant contribution in Ireland and abroad, and those born overseas who had noteworthy careers in Ireland.
Oxford Dictionary of African Biography

Major Biographical Sources

Bert Lahr as Cowardly Lion from Oz, Corbis, Bettmann Archive, 1039 Henry VIII, William Faithorne, engraving, 17th century, Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College, ARTstor Virginia Stephen, photography by George Beresford, Smith College, Mortimer Rare Book Room, 1902 William Shakespeare, First Folio British Library G.11631 title page, 1623 Martin Luther King, Jr. photo by Bob Adelman, August 28, 1963, Corbis

Biography in Context
Includes biographies from dictionaries, encyclopedias, and journals.
American National Biography
Reliable scholarly biographies of major figures in American history.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Biographies of major figures in British history from the 4th century BC to the year 2001. 2nd edition, with illustrations.
Marquis Who's Who
Searchable biographies from Who's Who in America, Who was Who in America, and the regional and subject Who's Who titles.

Biographical Indexes & Genealogy

Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Indexes reference sources containing biographical entries on individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and world region.
Biography Index 1984+
Indexes articles, books, and autobiographies for people from antiquity to the present and from all fields and nationalities.
Ancestry (Library Edition)
Census, vital, church, court & immigration records for the US & UK, plus other areas. Major components: US federal census 1790-1930 (incl. manuscript returns); historical maps; Social Security Death Index; etc.