American National Biography

• The definitive new authority in American biography
• The first American biographical dictionary of this scope to be published in more than 60 years
• The most inclusive biographical resource available - capturing the full diversity of American social, political, cultural, religious, economic, scientific, and popular life
• Unparalleled coverage of notable women, Hispanic-Americans, Native Americans, German-Americans, African-Americans, and others who are central to the American story
• All new articles by more than 6,000 contributors - including distinguished historians and other scholars - incorporating the finest in contemporary scholarship and the latest in historical interpretations
• Published in partnership with the American Council of Learned Societies, the USA's leading national organization for the humanities
• The most current biographical resource of its kind, covering figures who died as recently as 1997
• Written in an engaging, accessible style designed to serve school students and general readers as well as scholars and researchers

Readership: Students (high school and above), scholars (primarily historians), general library users.

Edited by John A. Garraty, Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University, and Mark C. Carnes, Professor of History, Barnard College, Columbia University

"This definitive, authoritative, and comprehensive biographical dictionary presenting the lives that have directly or indirectly shaped the life of the United States is the product of a decade of the most recent historical scholarly writing, editing, and editorial development. ... it is a publishing event of national significance that will be of interest not only to historians and a general audience but also to scientists, chemists, chemical educators, and historians of science." - George B. Kauffman, The Chemical Educator, Vol 5, No 4.

"Not since putting a man on the moon has an American organization undertaken such an ambitious project ...These volumes are an absorbing panorama of the long, colourful American parade ... they naturally belong in schools and libraries, and the succinct bibliographies that appear at the end of each entry are a scholar's feast ... the essays are well written and often entertaining, and the Biography would be perfectly suitable for the beside table were it not for the weight. The pages are strewn with little nuggets ... American National Biography represents such a colossal effort ... its publication now is indeed something to celebrate" - Raymond Seitz, The Times,

"the ANB's biographies of 'great men' have not lost much by being leaner, and this has allowed for many more biographies of lesser figures. The decision of the ANB's editors to shorten the longer entries and lengthen the shorter ones was eminently wise./ Gordon S. Wood, Professor of History at Brown University, TLS, 30/04/99."