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American National Biography

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The American National Biography (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries[1] and 20 million words,[2] first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies. A 400-entry supplement appeared in 2002.[3] Additional funding came from Rockefeller Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities.[4] The general editors were John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes.[5]

The ANB bills itself as the successor of the Dictionary of American Biography, which was first published between 1926 and 1937. It is not, however, a strict superset of this older publication; the selection of topics was made anew.[6]

It is commonly available in the reference sections of United States libraries,[7][8] and is available online by subscription (see external links).

Awards and reception

In 1999, the American Library Association awarded the American National Biography its Dartmouth Medal[9] as a reference work of outstanding quality and significance. The American Historical Association's Waldo G. Leland Prize was awarded for 2001.[10]

It has been criticized for missing cross references and occasional errors,[11] and for its cost, which is said to limit availability in poor countries.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "About the ANB". 2005. Archived from the original on 10 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Oxford University Press and Regional Networks Announce Strategic Alliance". July 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  3. ^ Ronald H. Fritze; Brian E. Coutts; Louis Andrew Vyhnanek (2004). Reference sources in history: an introductory guide. ABC-CLIO. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-87436-883-3.
  4. ^ American National Biography, Vol. 1, Preface
  5. ^ American National Biography Online
  6. ^ Keith Thomas (2005). Changing conceptions of national biography: the Oxford DNB in historical perspective. Cambridge University Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-521-67118-7.
  7. ^ OCLC 39182280
  8. ^ Anthony C. Winkler; Jo Ray Metherell (2011). Writing the Research Paper: A Handbook. Cengage Learning. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-495-79964-1.
  9. ^ "Dartmouth Medal". American Library Association. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  10. ^ "AHA Award Recipients. Waldo G. Leland Prize". American Historical Association. May 30, 2007. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  11. ^ Rebecca Ann Bartlett (2003). Choice's outstanding academic titles, 1998-2002: reviews of scholarly titles that every library should own. Assoc of College & Resrch Libraries. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-8389-8232-7.
  12. ^ Roy Rosenzweig; Anthony Grafton (2010). Clio Wired: The Future of the Past in the Digital Age. Columbia University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-231-15085-9.


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