Research Guides: Reference Materials at NYU Libraries: Biographical Resources

Using Biographical Resources

NYU Libraries subscribes to a variety of databases that provide biographical essays about notable people. Use these resources to establish context--to get general background information about someone, including the reasons for their notoriety, any important works or accomplishments, movements or time periods they belong(ed) to, or relationships with other key figures of their time.

Recommended Starting Places

American National Biography (ANB)
American National Biography (ANB) contains biographical essays and topical articles on the lives of noteworthy deceased Americans to the present. There are specially selected collections covering American Indian Heritage, Asian Pacific American Heritage, Black History, Hispanic Heritage, Women's History.
Biography & Genealogy Master Index
Indexes biographical listings in dictionaries and encyclopedias covering millions individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas of the world.
Gale in Context: Biography
Online biographical reference database in the fields of literature, science, business, entertainment, politics, sports, history, current events and the arts.Biographical information on over one million people throughout history, around the world.
Biography Reference Bank
Current Biography contains biographical information on approximately half a million people, from antiquity to the present. Dates of coverage: Ancient Times to present.

Some Specialized Resources

LGBT Thought and Culture
LGBT Thought and Culture is an online resource hosting books, periodicals, and archival materials documenting LGBT political, social, and cultural movements throughout the twentieth century and into the present day. The collection includes materials ranging from texts, letters, speeches, interviews, and ephemera covering the political evolution of gay rights as well as memoirs, biographies, poetry, and works of fiction that illuminate the lives of lesbians, gays, transgender, and bisexual individuals and the community. These materials represent selections from The National Archives in Kew, materials collected by activist and publisher Tracy Baim from the mid-1980s through the mid-2000s, the Magnus Hirschfeld and Harry Benjamin collections from the Kinsey Institute, periodicals such as En la Vida and BLACKlines, select rare works from notable LGBT publishers including Alyson Books and Cleis Press, as well as mainstream trade and university publishers.
North American Indian Thought and Culture
North American Indian Thought and Culture is a resource that supports scholarly research into the history of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Peoples. The project integrates autobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files.
ProQuest Black Studies
ProQuest Black Studies combines primary and secondary sources, including leading historical Black newspapers, archival documents and collections, key government materials, videos, writings by major Black intellectuals and leaders, scholarly journals, and essays by top scholars in Black Studies.

This database includes the former African American Biographical Database, which held biographical information on African Americans, including: Black Biographical Dictionaries, 1790-1950, obituary files, slave narrative collections, photographs, and illustrations; and the index to that collection, Black biography, 1790-1950.
Who's Who in American Politics (via Marquis Biographies Online)
This is the definitive biographical directory of the men and women who most greatly influence the American political landscape. Coverage of the directory reflects the results of recent elections and includes: the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet, members of Congress, prominent federal official appointees, congressional staff members, U.S. ambassadors, governors, lieutenant governors, state officials, state supreme court justices, state legislators, federal judges, national and state political party chairs, mayors of cities with populations over 150,000, lobbyists, heads of specials interest groups, and numerous political commentators and strategists.
Yearbook of International Organizations Online
The Yearbook of International Organizations Online produced by the Union of International Organizations (UIA) includes information on international organizations, biographies of principal officers, and summary statistics on international organizations.

International Sources

Archiv Bibliographia Judaica - Deutschsprachiges Judentum Database
Archiv Bibliographia Judaica – Deutschsprachiges Judentum Online compiles and collects bio-bibliographic information on more than 20,000 German-speaking Jews who were leading figures in literature, philosophy, religion, art, music and politics. Based on the Archive Bibliographia Judaica (ABJ) in Frankfurt am Main, founded by Renate Heuer, the database is a distinctive document of German-Jewish heritage.
Dictionary of Irish Biography
The Dictionary of Irish Biography, a collaborative project between Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy, contains over 9,000 signed biographical articles which describe and assess the careers of subjects in all fields of endeavor, including politics, law, religion, literature, journalism, architecture, painting, music, the stage, science, medicine, engineering, entertainment and sport.
KRpia
KRpia (Hanʾguk ŭi chisik kʻontʻenchʻŭ, 한국 의 지식 콘텐츠) is a database containing historical Korean texts, including Koryosa, Parhaesa, and Chungbo Munhon Pigo. This Korean language ebook database includes many reference works like encyclopedias, dictionaries, historical and archival resources, biographical sources and other reference materials related to Korean history, literature, civilization and medicine. They are arranged in 11 categories and each database provides access to full text as well as image files. Newly added is YeonHaengRok Chonggan (燕行錄) (Enlarged 6th edition), a collection of over 562 personal records by about 314 envoys whose delegation visited Beijing during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties (13th to 19th century). It is keyword searchable.
The Littman E-Library of Jewish Civilization
From the Liverpool University Press this database contains about 90 volumes covering Jewish Studies subject areas, including: history, cultural studies, literature, the Holocaust, biography, religious studies, philosophy and women's studies.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
It is a collection of more than 56,600 specially written biographies, which describe the lives of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond.
Toledot Yeshu (Mohr Siebeck)
Toledot Yeshu ("The Life Story of Jesus") is a satirical counter-history presenting a "biography" of Jesus from an anti-Christian perspective. It provides the first critical edition of all the available Hebrew and Aramaic Toledot Yeshu manuscripts, including an introduction and English translation. **Only available to users with an NYU NetId and password.
The Treasury of Lives
The Treasury of Lives database is a biographical encyclopedia of Tibet, Inner Asia, and the Himalayan region. The Treasury provides accessible and well-researched biographies of a wide range of figures, from Buddhist masters to artists and political officials; most essays are peer reviewed. Content is enhanced by a dynamic map of Asia.
Women writers of Russia: Material for a Biobibliographic Dictionary
Women writers of Russia: Material for a Biobibliographic Dictionary is an alphabetical, bio-bibliographical guide of Russian women authors from the 18th century to the present.
World Biographical Information System (WBIS) Online
WBIS Online is a comprehensive biographical database available, providing short biographical information on 5.9 Million people from the 8th century B.C. to the present. Included are 7.8 Million digital facsimile articles from biographical reference works on 5.56 Million people worldwide.
World Who's Who
Brings together current and hard-to-find biographical information on almost 60,000 of the most gifted, famous and influential men and women in all fields.
Yomidas (Yomiuri Database Service)
Yomidas (Yomiuri Database Service) / ヨミダス(読売) allows a user to search or browse through articles carried by the The Yomiuri Shimbun (読売新聞) newspaper since its inaugural issue in 1874. The archive is divided into sections: the Meiji, Taishō & Shōwa Eras section contains high-quality scans of the articles as they appeared in the original print editions during these periods. The Heisei Era section presents articles in a convenient text view, as well as a clipping view of the original article. The Japan News section catalogues articles which have appeared in the English publication. The Contemporary Who’s Who allows searching by individuals to retrieve their biographical data as well as articles which pertain to them. The Regional Sections (Showa Era) feature allows searching of stories which appeared in various regional editions of Yomiuri shimbun.
Yomidas (Yomiuri Database Service) supports the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.

People in the Arts

Artists of the World Online
Artists of the World Online contains reference works on artists' biographies. It includes content from Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon Online (AKL) and essays on visual artists, architects, and designers active from antiquity through the present day. Scroll down on database homepage to access PDF version of abbreviation key.
Columbia Granger's World of Poetry
Columbia Granger's World of Poetry contains citations for poems that appear in anthologies and collections, as well as poet biographies, commentaries, a glossary of poetic terms, and full text for some poems. Users can search poems by title, first line, author gender, genre, and more.
The Literary Encyclopedia
The Literary Encyclopedia provides biographies and bibliographies of writers, essays on literary texts, and entries on other literary, cultural and historical matters. The Encyclopedia covers English, American, German, Russian, Italian, French and Classical literatures, with some additional coverage of other world literatures.
Literature Criticism Online
Literature Criticism Online includes the contents of several multidisciplinary series, including Contemporary Literary Criticism and Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. The collection includes biographical essays and selected literary criticism for authors from the classical period to the present day.
Literature Online (LION)
Literature Online includes full text of literary works in English from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. It is the single most extensive and wide-ranging online collection of English and American literature. Resources included in this database are: Columbia Companion to the 20th Century American Short Story, Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature, Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism, Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, Encyclopedia of African Literature, Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century, Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900-2003, Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2 vols.), Encyclopedia of the Novel, Handbook of African American Literature, New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, Oxford Companion to Irish Literature, Penguin Classics Introductions, Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory, Routledge Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English (2nd Edition), Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature
Literature Resource Center
Literature Resource Center offers biographical and other background information for research on literary topics, authors, and their works. Its coverage includes all genres and disciplines, all time periods, and all regions of the world. Literature Resource Center's content comes from the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, and more, including full text of selected poems, plays, and short stories.
Orlando: Women's Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present
Orlando provides information on women writers (primarily British) from the Middle Ages to the present. Entries include biographical information, contextual material, timelines, links to other writers in the database, and bibliographies. Users can explore networks of influence and allusion among writers, or create their own chronologies of literary history.

Biographical Resources in Print

Encyclopedia of Heads of States and Governments, 1900-1945 by Harris M. Lentz
Call Number: D412 .L45 1999 Non-circulating

ISBN: 0786405007

Publication Date: 1999-06-01

The first half of the 20th century was perhaps the most turbulent in history. Two world wars and numerous smaller conflicts significantly changed the geopolitical map, resulting in an unprecedented number of changes throughout the world. Some of the leaders in the period made an indelible mark on their nation and, in some cases, the world; others are scarcely remembered even in their own homeland.Nearly 1,200 emperors, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, premiers, emirs, and other heads of state or government served from 1900 through 1945, and all are included in this comprehensive reference work. Each biographical profile first gives birth and death dates, then gives an account of how the leader came to power and an overview of his or her term in office. The profiles are packed with data.
The 100 Most Important People in Musical Theatre by Andy Propst
Call Number: ML102.M875 P76 2019 Non-circulating

ISBN: 9781538116180

Publication Date: 2019-09-09

From Show Boat and Oklahoma! to Wicked and Hamilton, the musical is constantly evolving thanks to the contributions of some of theatre's most prominent figures. Never have musicals been more popular than they are today. With live television broadcasts of shows like Rent and Hairspray and films like Mean Girls and Shrek being adapted to the stage, musicals--as well as the creators and artists who bring them to life--are at the forefront of popular culture. In 100 Most Important People in Musical Theatre, Andy Propst profiles the individuals who have helped shape this beloved art form. Songwriting greats such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd Webber are some of the familiar names in the book. So, too, are performers such as Nathan Lane, Ethel Merman, Audra McDonald, and Patti LuPone, and directors and choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Harold Prince, Jerome Robbins, and Tommy Tune. Readers learn not only about these men and women's exceptional lives and achievements, but can peek backstage at such groundbreaking shows as Show Boat, Oklahoma!, West Side Story, Company, and A Chorus Line, among others. Period reviews and interviews highlight both the shows and the people who contributed to them. The profiles in 100 Most Important People in Musical Theater provide a terrific history of musical theater, guiding readers from the era of operetta and the ascendancy of the book musical to the emergence of the concept musical and contemporary productions--from The Mikado and The Phantom of the Opera to Fun Home and Hamilton. This book is an invaluable addition to any musical theatre fan's library, and will also appeal to researchers and scholars.
Latin American Classical Composers by Martha Furman Schleifer (Editor); Gary Galván (Editor)
Call Number: ML105 .F53 2016 Non-circulating

ISBN: 9780810888708

Publication Date: 2016-01-28

Now in its third edition, Latin American Classical Composers: A Biographical Dictionary provides a singular English-language resource for biographical information on hundreds of composers from Central and South America and the Hispanic Caribbean. Painstakingly gathered from a wide variety of sources, the information updates and expands previous editions and fills in the gaps left by the other major English-language music dictionaries and encyclopedias. Entries provide biographical data comprising full names, birth and death dates and locations, background, education, and training, as well as selective works lists more than 2,300 composers. An index of composers by country and women composers of Latin America complement the volume. An essential part of any music library, Latin American Classical Composers is an invaluable reference for librarians, musicologists, ethnomusicologists, researchers, and music students.