Biographical dictionaries — a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information — have been written in many languages. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with limitations, such as living persons only, in Who's Who, or deceased people only, in the Dictionary of National Biography). Others are specialized, in that they cover important names in a subject field, such as architecture or engineering.
The quality of biographical dictionaries varies. Most are long-established and authoritative, but some are simply schemes for flattering biographees into paying for commemorative copies of the publication. Anyone who receives an invitation to be included in a biographical dictionary should check the publication carefully. Warning signs include the offers of high-priced special commemorative editions, and requests for names and addresses of additional possible candidates for inclusion. Appearance in this Wikipedia article is not a guarantee of quality.
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List of biographical dictionaries
International
- A Biographical Dictionary of Railway Engineers
- Al-Fihrist al-Nadim
- Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890
- Who's Who in the World
- World Biographical Information System Online
Australia
- Australian Dictionary of Biography
- Dictionary of Australian Biography
- Dictionary of Western Australians
- Dictionary of Australian Artists Online
Canada
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography
- The Canadian Who's Who, published by University of Toronto Press
France
- Dictionnaire de biographie des hommes célèbres de l'Alsace (1909-1910)
- Dictionnaire de biographie française (1932)
- Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne (1982)
German-speaking Europe
- Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875)
- Neue Deutsche Biographie (1953)
- Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (1990)
- Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie (1995)
Great Britain
- A Biographical Dictionary of British coleopterists - online at The Coleopterist
- A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers
- British Biographical Index
- Concise Dictionary of National Biography
- Dictionary of National Biography
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- Who's Who, published by A & C Black
- Who's Who in Catholic Life, published by Gabriel Communications, publishers of The Universe and the Catholic Times
Italy
- Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (1925)
- Enciclopedia Biografica Universale
New Zealand
Poland
United States
- African American National Biography Project
- American National Biography
- Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Encyclopedia of American Biography
- Who's Who in America, published by Marquis Who's Who
External links
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