Basic Biographical Resources on Authors

Listed here are selected starting places for finding biographical information on authors; look at the Basic Biographical Resources pathfinder for more general sources. All books listed are in the Drinko Library. Feel free to ask the Reference Desk staff for help in using any of these resources.

Online Catalogs

The MU Libraries' catalog is available online.

Use a "Basic Search" with 'Subject Heading' as the search type for the person's last name to see if we have a full length biography. You can also try a "Keyword Search" with their name as a 'Subject Heading' and Biography as either 'All Fields' or 'Subject Heading'; for example, whitman AND biography.
For authors by country, do a "Keyword Search" with Authors, Biography, and the national adjective, all as a 'Subject Heading'; for example: authors AND biography AND english, authors AND biography AND german, authors AND biography AND american.
For authors by genre, do a "Keyword Search" with Biography and the genre (Novelists, Poets, or Dramatists) as "Subject Heading'. You can also add the nationality (such as American, French) as a 'Subject Heading'.

Although you will need to use interlibrary loan to get the books, you can also search other library catalogs (http://www.marshall.edu/library/e-ref/othercatalogs.asp). Especially useful is OhioLINK (http://www.ohiolink.edu/), covering most libraries in Ohio.

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Selected Reference Books

African Writers (Ref. PL8010 .A453 1997) - 65 authors who were born or spent most of their lives in Africa since the late 19th century.
Contemporary Authors: Cumulative Index (Ref. Z1224 .C65 Index) - provides access to a number of important biographical and critical sources (marked in this pathfinder with a # at the end of the description.)
Gale's Literary Index (http://www.galenet.com/servlet/LitIndex) is the Web equivalent of Contemporary Authors: Cumulative Index. You still need to visit the library for the actual resources.
Contemporary Authors (Ref. Z1224 .C59; ~.C6; and ~.C63) - covers authors of all types living in the twentieth century who have written (or been translated into) English. Entries are arranged alphabetically in each volume and include brief biographies, list of works, a bibliography of sources, and (sometimes) a biographical essay. #
Contemporary Authors: Bibliographical Series (Ref. Z1224 .C64) - surveys writings about important post-World War II American authors. Each entry includes primary and secondary bibliographies, and an essay reviewing major critical and scholarly studies of the author. Volume 1: novelists; volume 2: poets; and volume 3: dramatists. Cumulative indexes. #
Each title below includes the most important living English-language writers in the genre, providing biographical information, bibliography of works, a critical essay, and (for many) a personal statement from the writer:
- Contemporary Dramatists 6th ed. (Ref. PR737 .C57 1999); 4th ed. (PR737 .C57 1988); and 2nd ed. (PR106 .V5 1977)
- Contemporary Literary Critics (Ref. PN75 .A1B6)
- Contemporary Novelists 5th ed. (Ref. PR883 .C64 1991)
- Contemporary Poets 6th ed. (Ref. PR603 .C6 1995) and 3rd ed. (PR603 .C6 1980)
Cyclopedia of World Authors (Ref. PN451 .M36 1974) - deals with authors from all countries and time periods, giving birth/death dates and places, principal works, a short critical biographical essay, and references to other sources.
Dictionary of Literary Biography (Ref. PS21 .D5) - a major source for information, containing bibliographies, lengthy essays, reference sources for both major and minor authors, and illustrations (photographs, title pages, dust jackets, and manuscript pages). Volumes are organized by topic, genre, or period. Cumulative name index, and title list of the series, in each volume. #
Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature (Ref. PQ7081 .A1E56 1997) - includes short biographies of Latin American writers.
European Authors 1000-1900 (Ref. PN451 .K8) - includes almost a thousand authors who died before 1925; gives a biographical essay, list of main works, and other sources of information.
The Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage (Ref. PN56 .H57G365 1995) - offers critical essays on writers who have contributed to gay and lesbian literary traditions (regardless of their own sexual orientation). Use the index to find authors discussed within topical and overview articles.
HarperCollins Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature 2d. ed. (Ref. PL8010 .A453 1997) - brief biographies.
The Nobel Prize Winners: Literature (Ref. PN451 .N63 1987) - chronological list of prize recipients through 1987, with portrait, biographical and literary essays, summaries of the award presentation and acceptance speech, lists of works, and other sources. [also see the World Wide Web section below]
Something About the Author (Ref. PN451 .S6) - covers authors and illustrators of works for children (English language or translated into English). Gives biographical information, awards and honors, list of works, adaptations, and references for more information, along with portraits and illustrations. Cumulative author and illustration indexes. #
Twayne's Author Series: English Authors; United States Authors; World Authors - CD-ROM version of the hundreds of books in the Twayne's Authors Series; can be searched by name, genre, gender, keyword, time period, nationality, or selected themes.(stand-alone PC version; ask at the Drinko Library Reference Desk for the needed disc)
The sources below provide information on authors "of all nations, whose books are familiar to readers of English" and who came to prominence during the designated time period; includes autobiographical as well as contributed essays, list of principal works, and other information sources.
- Twentieth Century Authors (Ref. PN771 .K86)
- Twentieth Century Authors: First supplement. (Ref. PN771 K86s)
- World Authors 1950-1970 (Ref. PN451 .W3)
- World Authors 1970-1975 (Ref. PN451 .W67)
- World Authors 1975-1980 (Ref. PN451 .W672 1985)
Women in Context (Ref. HQ1593 .A3K36 1997) - Covers 812 British women who published narrative autobiographies from the early 18th to early 20th centuries. Gives bibliographic and biographical information, and summarizes the contents of the autobiography.

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World Wide Web Sources

You can use your favorite search engine to look for biographical information on a particular author, but you may have to dig through lots of irrelevant web pages. Put the name between quotation marks to help narrow the results. Good sites include:

Great Writers [http://www.xs4all.nl/~pwessel/writers.html] - links to web pages on individual authors, literary prizes, author mailing lists and newsgroups.
Literary Calendar [http://english.yasuda-u.ac.jp/lc/] - searchable daily list of births, deaths, and notable events for major literary figures; includes links to other web resources on individuals.
Internet Public Library: Literary Criticism (http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/) - biographical and critical sites about authors and their works, selected for overall usefulness. Listings by name, title of work, and literary period (country and time).
Literary Kicks (http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/LitKicks.html) - links and discussion boards on authors in four categories: The Beat Generation, Transcendental America, La Boheme, and Summer of Love (Hippie Writers & Latter Day Beats).
Literary Resources on the Web [http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/] - great collection of links to literary resources (including biographical information); arranged by broad topic, with a single-word search engine.
Luminarium (http://www.luminarium.org/lumina.htm) - biographies and other material on English authors from the Medieval, Renaissance, and 17th Century (three separate sites).
Internet Public Library: Native American Authors (http://www.ipl.org/div/natam/) - links to resources on (mostly) contemporary Native American authors, indexed by name, title of work, and tribes.
NetSerf: Authors (http://www.netserf.org/People/Authors/) - links to sites on authors from the Medieval period, from the excellent "internet connection for Medieval resources."
Nobel Prize Internet Archive: Literature [http://nobelprizes.com/nobel/literature/] - chronological and alphabetical lists of winners; entries give links to internet sites relating to the author.
OzLit Australian Authors Index (http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ozlit/ozlita.html) - some links give lots of information, some just a little.
Victorian Web: Authors (http://www.victorianweb.org/vn/vicauth.html) - biographical and other information on authors discussed in the Victorian Web, an excellent site devoted to all aspects of Victorian England.
Voice of the Shuttle: Web Site for Humanities Research [http://vos.ucsb.edu/] - links to a wide variety of resources, including some biographical ones.
Yahoo: Authors [http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Authors/] - grouped links to Web sites from one of the most inclusive search engines

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Articles

Biography Index (Ref. Z5301 B5) - indexes books, chapters, and articles from magazines and journals; published since 1946. Arranged by person's last name, with index by profession/occupation (e.g. Authors).
Academic Search Premier - Comprehensive database features full text for over 1,200 journals with many dating back to 1990, abstracts and indexing for over 3,000 scholarly journals

NOTE: Check with the Reference staff for help in using any of the sources listed above. The Drinko Reference Collection has hundreds of other sources for biographical information; ask us for assistance (telephone 304-696-2334), see the specialized biographical pathfinders, and check the Research Guides.

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Prepared by Timothy A. Balch, Reference Services Librarian.

Suggestions for improvement welcomed.

Last updated 2/1/04