biography dictionary entry

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Finding Biographical Information

Biographical dictionaries.

• Research Approaches

Biographical Dictionaries by Occupation

Biographical dictionaries by gender, biographical dictionaries by ethnicity, finding more biographical dictionaries.

• Book-length Biographies
• Periodical Articles/Obituaries
• Diaries/Autobiographies
• College/University Alumni/ae Biography
• Festschrifts
• Archival Sources
• Government Directories
• Local Histories
• Genealogical Sources
• Boston-Area Biography
• Asia, South & Central
• Asia, Southeast
• Australia/Pacific
• Europe: Regional & by Country, A-F
• Europe: H-N
• Europe: P-Z
• Mexico/Central America
• South America
• Russia/Central Asia
• Middle East
• North America/Canada

By no means all biographical dictionaries are covered by the resources listed in Resources of First Resort. More are listed on this page.

• Biograpical Dictionaries by Occupation

Authors including Literary Authors

Contemporary Authors  includes over 116,000 living (or dying since early 1960s) literary and non-literary writers worldwide. Articles typically include short critical essay;  brief personal information; list of author’s writings; critical writings about the author.  New entries appear in  Contemporary Authors  (CA); revisions of CA entries appear in  Contemporary Authors New Revision Series  and the  Permanent Series . HOLLIS Records In  Gale In Context: Biography  (Available to Massachusetts residents via the State Library of Massachusetts)

Dictionary of Literary Biography is a huge series of volumes offering biographical-critical essays on authors, including references for interviews, critical writings. Coverage is international, with emphasis on English and American. Lamont REF.ROOM PN451.D5 1978x (Lamont holds selected volumes.) Widener RR 3129 (Widener holds the complete set.) The DLB is indexed by name in the Literary Index Includes numerous volumes on essayists, travel writers, literary biographers, book collectors and bibliographers, major publishing forms, etc. as well as on literary authors.

American men of science; a biographical directory , 1906- . [title varies: American men & women of science, 1971- ].  HOLLIS Records Internet Archive Full Text  (1905-1970) Internet Archive Full Text   (1971-2009)  Open Year on left to select your year)

Index to editions 1/14: Cabot Science Q141 .A471 1983 CUM. Index 1-14 Widener WID-LC Q141 .A474 (At beginning) Widener | S 120.15.5 (shelved before 14th ed.) Internet Archive Full Text Indexed by  Biography and Genealogy Master Index  (BGMI) from 12th ed. (1971/73) to present.

Complete Dictionary of scientific biography  is the online version of the  Dictionary of scientific biography  and  New Dictionary of Scientific Biography . Offers biographical articles on deceased scientists, including lists of primary and secondary literature. Volume 16 includes a general index and a list of scientists by field. Volumes 17 & 18 are supplements containing scientists left out of the main series and those dying between 1970 and 1981.  New Dictionary of Scientific Biography  contains new articles about scientists dying after 1950 and earlier figures omitted from the original  Dictionary  together with articles updating entries in the original. Unlike the original, psychology and anthropology are covered, with some sociology and economics. --For more recent sources use  History of Science, Technology and Medicine . For new primary works (new editions, etc.) put your person in the author field. For new secondary works, put your person in the Subject field. --Scribner, C. 1980. Publishing the Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, v. 124, no. 5, pp. 320-322.

The following biographical dictionaries either are not included in BGMI or WBIS, or have features (occupational or other indexes) not accessible through these sources.

FemBio . Institute for Women's Biography Research Hannover/Boston, Luise F. Pusch Hannover, Germany --Some entries give substantial information; others are skeletal. Emphasis on European, especially German women. Full entries have source lists, web links, and often portraits and other photographs.

International who's who of women . London: Europa Publications Ltd., 1992- LOCATION: Widener: RR1505.30

Lesser-known women: a biographical dictionary , 1992. LOCATION: Widener: RR4761.21.5 --Includes over 800 living and deceased women arranged chronologically (1600-1991) by year of most significant achievement. Entries are keyed to about 600 numbered sources in a terminal bibliography. Indexes list biographees by name, country, and profession.

Notable American women . Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971-2004. 5 v. LOCATION: Widener: RR 1711. 34 --Covers women deceased before 1999. Articles include extensive source lists giving particular attention to unpublished sources. Classified index (by field) in each vol. Vols. 1-4 indexed in Biography and genealogy master index. Full text in  Women and Social Movements in the United States: 1600-2000

Oxford encyclopedia of women in world history , ed. by Bonnie G. Smith. Oxford; NY: Oxford University Press, 2008 4 v. LOCATION: Widener | RR 1701.60 --Both topical and biographical articles.

Palgrave Macmillan dictionary of women's biography . 4th ed. NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. LOCATION: WID-LC CT3202 .P26 2005 --Includes over 2100 women, living and deceased, from Antiquity to the present. Introductory nine-page survey of other biographical sources. A few entries are dropped with each new edition. Subject index by occupation or reason for prominence. 1st ed.: The International dictionary of women's biography, 1982.

Women in world history: a biographical encyclopedia , ed. by Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer. Waterford, CT: Yorkin Publications, 1999-2002. 17 v. LOCATION: Widener | RR 1701.50 --Covers living and deceased women, from Antiquity to the present. Most articles have source lists, which include the location of personal papers. The last volume (v. 17) contains indexes by name with variant spellings, by occupation/experience, etc. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index.

European immigrant women in the United States: a biographical dictionary , ed. by Judy Barrett Litoff, Judith McDonnell. New York : Garland Pub., 1994, 357 p. LOCATION: Widener | WID-LC | E184.E95 L58 1994 --Includes 239 biographies of deceased women who immigrated since the American Revolution. Each biography has a substantial source list, often giving archival sources. Biographee list by area of activity and a short name/topic index.

Jewish women in America: an historical encyclopedia , ed. by Paula E. Hyman and Deborah Dash Moore. NY: Routledge, 1997. 2 v. LOCATION: Widener | WID-LC | DS115.2 .J49 1997x --Long name/topic index and list of biographees by area of activity. Full text in World Biographical Information System.

Latinas in the United States: a historical encyclopedia , ed. by Vicki L. Ruiz and Virginia Sánchez Korrol. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006. 3 v. LOCATION: Widener | WID-LC | E184.S75 L35 2006

Notable Black American women . Detroit: Gale Research, 1992-1996. LOCATION: Widener: RR4781.41.69 Library has: 2 v. --Includes around 1100 women (about half living) with birth dates 1686-1970. Each entry has a source list (which includes archival sources) and many have portraits. There is an "Area of endeavor" list and a detailed subject index in each volume. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index and full text in Biography in Context

Biographical Indexes

Women in particular: an index to American women , by Kali Herman. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1984. LOCATION: Widener: RR 1501. 26 --Index to biographical articles on women in some 54 works of collective biography. Comprises five indexes: (1) Field and career index; (2) Religious affiliation index; (3) Ethnic and racial index; (4) Geographical index; and (5) Alphabetical index. Biographees are entered in as many of the first four sections (and subsections) as are applicable, with full information (name, dates, occupation or field of activity, places of residence, religion, ethnicity, and references to biographical sources) repeated at each entry. The alphabetical (biographee) index lists all the entries in the other four indexes.

Subject guide to women of the world , by Katharine Joan Phenix. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1996, 516 p. Location : Widener RR 1501.24.5 --Provides topical and geographical indexes to  Index to women of the world from ancient to modern times; biographies and portraits  (Widener: RR 1501) which provides references to biographical sketches which appear in 945 collective biographies and which is itself indexed by name in Biography and Genealogy Master Index.

African American national biography , ed. by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Evelyn Brooks-Higginbotham. NY: Oxford University Press, 2013, 12 v. Andover-Harv. Theol | Ref. | E185.96 .A4466 2008 (1st ed.) Lamont | REFERENCE | E185.96 .A4466 2008 (1st ed.) Widener RR 4781.60 (2nd ed.; 2013) Online version  (Continuously updated)

Contemporary Black biography . Vol. 1- Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1992- LOCATION: Widener: RR 4781.41.59 Substantial articles (two to six pages), with source references. Each volume has about 70 articles. Many entries have photographs or interviews. Covers primarily (but not exclusively) living persons; about 80% are Americans. Indexed by nationality, occupation, subject, and name. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index

African-American Biographical Database  is an online collection of about 300 full-text biographical dictionaries. Also available as a microfiche set, with printed index, in Widener's Reference Room (as  Black Biographical Dictionaries 1790-1950 ).

Notable Asian Americans , ed by Helen Zia and Susan B. Gall. New York : Gale Research, 1995, 468 p. HOLLIS Record

Distinguished Asian Americans: a biographical dictionary , ed. by Hyung-chan Kim. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999, 430 p. HOLLIS Record

Who's who among Asian Americans . Detroit : Gale Research Inc., 1994. 1 v.  HOLLIS Record

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans , ed. by Gary Y. Okihiro. Ispwich, Mass.: Salem Press, 2013. 3 v. HOLLIS Record

Native American biographies  (North American Indian Thought and Culture) 

Find unindexed works of collective biography in your subject area by searching the  HOLLIS Catalog  and  WorldCat , a collective catalog of thousands of libraries. Very specialized and very recent collective biographies are least likely to be indexed.

To find biographical dictionaries and who's whos, attach the words Biography AND (Dictionaries OR Encyclopedias OR "bio-bibliographies") to your search term, thus:

Physicians AND Biography AND (Dictionaries OR Encyclopedias OR "Bio-bibliography")

Some collective biographical works, especially those including a small number of persons,  carry the term Biography only.  These can only be found by browsing through the whole (and large)  Physicians Biography set

Records for who's whos sometimes, but by no means consistently, bear the subdivisions Directories or Periodicals.

When you have found a likely collective biography, check the lists of indexed sources in  Biography and Genealogy Master Index  (Sources Indexed) and do a Bibliographical search in the  World Biographical Information System (WBIS) . Although many biographical dictionaries are available full text in WBIS, the print versions often contain vocational/geographical indexes and other features not available through WBIS.

Subject dictionaries and encyclopedias, although not purely biographical, often include biographical articles

Example: History of physical anthropology : an encyclopedia / edited by Frank Spencer. Subject: Physical anthropology Encyclopedias.

Search for them in HOLLIS+: anthropology AND (encyclopedias OR dictionaries)

Bibliographies of Collective Biography

The following sources list biographical dictionaries by subject:

Biographical dictionaries and related works: an international bibliography of more than 16,000 collective biographies  ..., by Robert B. Slocum, 2nd ed. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1986. LOCATION: Law School: Special Coll Ref CT 104.S55x 1986 LOCATION: Widener: RR 1501. 13.2 Library has: 2 v. --Thorough and conveniently arranged, by geography and profession, bibliography of pre-1986 biographical dictionaries.

Guide to reference in genealogy and biography , ed. by Mary K. Mannix, Fred Burchsted, and Jo Bell Whitlatch. Chicago: ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2015, 372 pages. HOLLIS Record Biographical section arranged by continent and country.

ARBA guide to biographical dictionaries . Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1986. LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC CT103.Z99 A73 x, 1986 --Continued by ARBA guide to biographical resources, 1986-1997 . Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1998. LOCATION: Widener: RR 1501.13.6

Bibliographie analytique des biographies collectives imprimées de la France contemporaine, 1789-1985 , by Alfred Fierro. Geneve: Slatkine, 1986. LOCATION: Andover-Harv. Theol: Ref. Z2170.F45 1986 LOCATION: Widener: RR 1771.30 --Sources arranged by profession.

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• URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/biography

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Biographical Resources

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• Books in the Library
• Online resources
• Biographical dictionaries

About Biographical Dictionaries

Biographical dictionaries normally contain brief biographies summarizing a person's life and accomplishments.

Almost any subject imaginable has a biographical dictionary associated with it. If they are physical volumes, they are often located in the subject area being described. Many of the library's physical items are in the Reference or Music Reference collections. There are also many biographical dictionaries available in our online collections.

Below are samples of both online and paper biographical dictionaries. These lists are NOT exhaustive, but intended to give a sense of the scope and specificity possible in biographical dictionaries.

Online Biographical Dictionaries

Biographical Dictionaries in the Library

The Online Books Page

Dictionary of national biography, edited by leslie stephen and sidney lee, first edition.

Google Books has various page image formats for all of the volumes, as does the Internet Archive. (The Google Books editions might not be readable in full outside the United States.) We give links to the first edition volumes below.

Supplementary volumes for the first edition

Second edition.

Google Books has various page image formats for the original second edition volumes. The Google Books editions might not be readable in full outside the United States. The Internet Archive also has some of the second edition volumes online, without country restrictions. We give links to available second edition volumes below.

The Dictionary of national biography

From the earliest times to 1900. vol. 6, by george murray smith , sir sidney lee , and sir leslie stephen.

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Edition notes.

Vol. 1-22 first published 1885-1901, in 66 volumes; first issued in a 22 vol. corrected edition in 1908-1909; reprinted in 1921-1922 and again in 1937-1938 with minor changes in indexes and new composite lists of contributors. Vol. 23 first published in 1912, reprinted 1939.

Vol. 22 includes 1st supplement.

Vol. 23-29 consist of supplements covering January 1901-1970, each containing a cumulative alphabetical index.

"Errors have as far as possible been corrected, and some of the bibliographies have been revised, but otherwise the text remains unaltered"--Publisher's note, v.1 of the 1908 issue (of which the 1921 and 1937 issues are reprints).

"Memoir of George Smith", the proprietor and publisher of the Dictionary: v.1, p. [xxi]-lix.

Set includes earlier editions of some volumes.

Vol. 30 (1971-1980) edited by Lord Blake and C.S. Nicholls, with an index covering the years 1901-1980 in one alphabetical series.

Mode of access: Internet.

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Libraries | Research Guides

Biographical information.

• Biographical Sources
• Searching for Biographical Sources in NUsearch

Biographical resources

• Online resources
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• American National Biography This link opens in a new window There is no need to sign in at website to access this resource. Begin searching or browsing for articles. The American National Biography is the premier, authoritative, historical biographical encyclopedia for the United States. Over 18,700 men and women are included, and the resource is updated quarterly with new entries and revisions of previously published entries to enhance their accuracy and currency. Articles are by established scholars. Living individuals are not included.
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography provides biographies of over 50,000 individuals worldwide who have shaped the history of the British Isles. Access restricted to 3 simultaneous users at a time.
• Gale in Context: Biography This link opens in a new window Gale In Context: Biography is an engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information on the world's most influential people. Biography merges Gale's authoritative reference content with periodicals and multimedia organized into a user-friendly portal experience while allowing users to search for people based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender as well as keyword and full text.
• Current Biography Illustrated This link opens in a new window Current Biography Illustrated contains profiles of individuals living at the time of publication, often at the height of, or even the beginning of, their fame or notoriety. Occasionally a revised biography will be published, and a brief obituary, but published biographies are never revised in light of later events, so a useful source for seeing how individuals were perceived at the time they were active. Illustrations for most individuals are included.
• Chambers Biographical Dictionary International and historical coverage of all areas of human achievement including the arts, science, technology, sport, politics, philosophy and business.
• World Biographical Information System WBIS This link opens in a new window Over 3.6 million short biographical entries for individuals who lived across the world from ancient times to the present. Includes full text images of the original sources, usually older biographical dictionaries. Especially valuable for locating information on hard-to-find individuals from the past.
• Almanac of American Politics Includes profiles of every member of Congress and every governor. It offers in-depth and completely up-to-date narrative profiles of all 50 states and 435 House districts.
• African American Biographical Database This link opens in a new window From July 1, 2023 AABD became a component of ProQuest Black Studies Center. Biographical sketches and essays on African Americans from 1790 to 1950. The Database corresponds to the printed Black Biographical Dictionaries. These sketches have been assembled from biographical dictionaries, yearbooks, directories, histories, personal accounts, and other published sources. The full text of 300 rare books is displayed and searchable in page images, intact with images and illustrations.
• Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography Provides information on the history of science through articles on the professional lives of scientists. Covers all periods of science from classical antiquity to modern times.
• Gale Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analayses of authors from every age and literary discipline. Covers more than 120,000 novelists, essayist, poets, journalists, and other writers, with in-depth coverage of 2,500 of the most-studied authors. Includes links to: Dictionary of literary biography, Contemporary authors, Contemporary literary criticism, and more.
• Palgrave MacMillan Dictionary of Women’s Biography Biographical information about women: historical, current, and worldwide.

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biography noun

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What does the noun biography mean?

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun biography . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun biography ?

How is the noun biography pronounced?

British english, u.s. english, where does the noun biography come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun biography is in the mid 1600s.

OED's earliest evidence for biography is from 1661, in the writing of John Fell, bishop of Oxford.

biography is a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: Latin biographia .

Nearby entries

• biognosy, n. 1880
• biograph, n. 1825–
• biograph, v. 1776–
• biographee, n. 1812–
• biographer, n. 1644–
• biographic, adj. 1752–
• biographical, adj. 1668–
• biographically, adv. ?1719–
• biographist, n. a1661–
• biographize, v. 1793–
• biography, n. 1661–
• biography, v. 1794–
• biographying, n. 1858–
• biohacker, n. 1988–
• biohacking, n. 1992–
• biohazard, n. 1965–
• biohazardous, adj. 1973–
• bioherm, n. 1928–
• biohermal, adj. 1937–
• bioidentical, adj. 1995–
• bioimaging, n. 1983–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for biography, n..

biography, n. was revised in November 2010.

biography, n. was last modified in July 2023.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into biography, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1887)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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Citation details

Factsheet for biography, n., browse entry.

Biographical Names

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• Aaron ... Aurobindo
• Austen ... Böhme
• Bohr ... Carte, D'Oyly
• Carter ... Cosby
• Cosgrave ... Donizetti
• Donne ... Felipe VI
• Fellini ... Gilbert
• Gilbertian ... Hausen
• Haushofer ... Ipatieff
• Iredell ... Kostunica
• Kosygin ... Lucas
• Luce ... Merkel
• Merrill ... Nyerere
• Oakeshott ... Politzer
• Polk ... Rose
• Rosebery ... Silva, da
• Simenon ... Tereshkova
• Terhune ... Waals, van der
• Wace ... Zworykin

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You may also see entries which say “Image” next to them – these correspond to images on the Oxford DN B . All image entries in the list consists of the image title, its photographer or maker (if known), and its publication date (in print and online, where relevant). The images will also tell you which article references them and includes a link to the article(s) under ‘Referenced In’.

Moving around the Browse list

The number of pages is shown at the top and bottom of the list. To move to any of the numbered pages, click on the desired number.

Sorting the list

The entries are sorted alphabetically by default. You can also choose to order them by a number of different options, all available to view by clicking on the drop-down box at the top of the Browse list:

Narrowing your choices 

You can narrow down the list by using the options on the left-hand side of the Browse list under the “Modify your search” header, which includes searching within the results or narrowing by format, type, gender, life event, occupation, and more.

In order to search across the full text of the articles themselves, click the drop-down box under “Modify your search”, choose the “Full Text” option, and click “Update”. If you filter by any of the text options, then you can also sort your results by relevance.

If you have added a criterion to your Results list, you may have more than one search term or filter listed at the top of the page. Any of these may be removed by clicking the cross next to it. To clear all your search terms, click “Clear all”.

In order to see the full-text of any article on the Oxford DNB you, or your institution, must have purchased access. Find out how to subscribe .

At the top of the article page, where appropriate, you can toggle between the article itself and any images associated with it, using the tabs provided. If there is a podcast associated to an article, it will appear on an ‘audio’ tab.

In the article tab, you can find relevant bibliographical information at the top. The full text of the article appears immediately below.

A list of contents for the article appears on the left-hand side – click any of these to go to that point in the article, the current section of the article will be highlighted. As you scroll through the article, this navigation pane will move with you – meaning you can always get to another point in the article quickly and easily.

In the audio tab, click the podcast associated with the article and you will see the following display:

If you hover over the volume icon on the left-hand side of the player, a second bar will appear.

This bar allows you to increase or decrease the volume, and mute or unmute the sound. Clicking on the far left of the bar will mute the podcast, as will directly clicking on the volume icon. Clicking anywhere else along this second bar will increase or decrease the volume.

Outputting articles

To download a PDF of the article, click the PDF icon then follow the instructions provided. 

To save the article to your personal account, click the floppy disk icon. Find out more about personal accounts .

To generate a citation of the article, click the pen icon. You can choose MLA, APA, or Chicago formats, and the citations can be cut and pasted directly into your own work. You can also export citations to personal citation management packages, including EndNote, ProCite, ReferenceManager, RefWorks, BibTex, and Zotero (BibText).

To send an email link to the article, click the envelope icon and fill in the details as appropriate. Please note: this email link will expire after a period of seven days.

To print an article hover over the “share” icon and choose “Print” from the list that appears.

To share a link to the article on hundreds of different sites (including Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn), click the share icon and choose one of the options.

You can create and log in with a secondary, personal set of credentials in order to use the “Personal Account” personalization feature. This section appears in the top-right of the website. 

Please note : this is separate from the account you use to access the content.

By registering for a personal account you can save content and annotations to your own personal area. (Please note: these are not the credentials you use to access the site content.) By registering, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Legal Notice . 

Already have a personal account? Sign in

Register for an account

Don't have a personal account? Then click “ Create ” in the top right corner of the website (just above the banner image), and follow the instructions given.

To use your personal account you need to make sure you are signed in to your own personal area at the start of a session. ( Please note : this is separate from the account you use to access the content.) You are already signed in to your personal area if your name appears at the top right of the window. If not, click “ Sign in ” and follow the instructions.

Signing out

To sign out of your personal account at the end of a session, click “Sign out” at the top right of the window, and follow the instructions. ( Please note : this is separate from the account you use to access the content.)

Your account is organized into three areas:

• Recent activity: this area keeps a record of the articles you have viewed and the searches you have run most recently
• Saved content: any articles you have chosen to save are listed here
• Edit account details: use this area to change your password and other details

You can cite any article straight from your personal account; simply click the “Cite” option under the “Action” column. You can choose MLA, APA, or Chicago formats, and the citations can be cut and pasted directly into your own work. 

You can also export citations to personal citation management packages, including EndNote, ProCite, ReferenceManager, RefWorks, BibTex, and Zotero (BibText).

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website contains names, images, and voices of deceased persons.

In addition, some articles contain terms or views that were acceptable within mainstream Australian culture in the period in which they were written, but may no longer be considered appropriate.

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Older articles are being reviewed with a view to bringing them into line with contemporary values but the original text will remain available for historical context.

The Australian Dictionary of Biography is Australia's pre-eminent dictionary of national biography. In it you will find concise, informative and fascinating descriptions of the lives of significant and representative persons in Australian history.

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New Project Launched!

Explore the ADB’s new project The Quest for Indigenous Recognition produced by the National Centre of Biography, ANU, and Professor Mark McKenna. Launched by the Hon. Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians, on 11 September 2023, it details 23 key historical events in the long journey to the 2023 Referendum on the Voice.

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Born This Day

Ethel byrne (1895–1957).

Ethel Byrne (1895-1957), physician and pathologist, was born on 28 August 1895 at Cookardinia, New South Wales, ninth child of James Byrne, schoolteacher, and his wife Margaret, née Crennan, both native-born....

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