American National Biography
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.
Country
United States
English
- 1999 (24 vols.)
- 2002 (1st Supplement)
- 2005 (2nd Supplement)
Print, Digital
26
Background[edit]
A 400-entry supplement appeared in 2002.[3] Additional funding came from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.[4]
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.[5]
It is commonly available in the reference sections of United States libraries,[6][7] and is available online by subscription (see external links).
Awards and reception[edit]
In 1999, the American Library Association awarded the American National Biography its Dartmouth Medal[8] as a reference work of outstanding quality and significance. The American Historical Association's Waldo G. Leland Prize was awarded for 2001.[9]
It has been criticized for missing cross references and occasional errors,[10] and for its cost, which is said to limit availability in poor countries.[11]
