Biographical Information Subject Guide
Historical Sources
5 resources available
- Restricted to WMU users 
- Open Access
Use these for information about famous deceased people.
American National Biography Authoritative biographical essays on more than 17,400 deceased Americans from all eras and walks of life published by Oxford University Press. Some of these entries are for literary figures.
Dictionary of American Biography
E 176 .D56 (Ref)
1928-present.
This set, which is over 30 volumes, is the most authoritative of the major biographical dictionaries of American history, and provides biographies of over 13,600 Americans, none of whom are living today. Use this in addition to the ANB because different points of view are represented in each set. Many other people besides authors are included in both sets.
Dictionary of National Biography
DA 28 .D47 (Ref)
This is the largest and oldest scholarly biographical dictionary in the English language, and contains over 36,400 biographies of significant people from all walks of life, who are all deceased, in all areas of activity from the British Isles and their colonies.
Encyclopedia of World Biography
CT 103 .E56 1998
A multi-volume set containing thousands of essays about famous living and dead people from all over the world. Each article is illustrated and contains a bibliography.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography An illustrated collection of 50,000 specially written biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of Britain's past, from the fourth century BC to the year 2000. This database excludes living people but includes the infamous and the legendary (Richard III and Robin Hood) as well as famous and documented people (Churchill and Shakespeare). Click on "Subscribers enter here."
Print: DA 28 .D47 (Ref)