Biographical sources may be current, listing only authors now living (these are often referred to as "Who's Who's") or historical, covering authors of earlier periods. They may be general, covering writers regardless of nationality genre, or time period, or they may they may cover only authors of a particular time or place or who wrote only or mostly in one literary form. Additional biographical sources may be found in GIL by searching for the keyword "biography" and a subject term or phrase.
REFERENCE PN771 .C65x
Contemporary authors; a bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television and other fields. Detroit: Gale Research, 1962-
Library has: v. 1-163 ; v. 1r-44r.
Covers not only literary authors, but also scholarly authors in the sciences and social sciences. Most of the authors write in English, but others are included if their works have been translated into English. Each entry includes a brief biographical sketch and a listing of works. For some, there is also a brief critical summary of the author's importance and a bibliography of critical sources.
REFERENCE PN771 .C658x 1981-
Contemporary authors. New revision series. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981-
Library has: v. 1-63.
Revises and updates sketches which have appeared in the original series. Not all entries in the original series are included, only those requiring significant changes.
REFERENCE PN41 .M26 1974
Magill, Frank Northen. Cyclopedia of world authors. Rev. ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1974.
Provides biographical sketches and brief bibliographies for about 1,000 world authors. Articles range in length from 200 to 2,000 words.
REFERENCE PN451 .C93 1989
Cyclopedia of world authors II. Rev. ed. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 1989.
Updates information on some of the authors who were still active when the original Cyclopedia of world authors was published, but about 80 percent of the 700 authors included are new to this edition.
REFERENCE PS21 .D43x
Dictionary of literary biography. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1978-
Library has: Vol. 1-194.
A growing encyclopedia of biographies of authors, each volume devoted to a particular nationality or genre. Each article includes a biography, a complete listing of the author’s writings, and a selection of critical sources. Most of the volumes deal with English or American authors.
REFERENCE PS21 .D434x
Dictionary of literary biography documentary series : an illustrated chronicle. Detroit: Gale Research, 1982-1992.
Library has: Vol. 1-14.
Reprints letters, diaries, interviews, notebooks, and book reviews pertaining to the authors in the main series.
REFERENCE PS21 .D433x
Dictionary of literary biography yearbook. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981-
Library has: 1980-1997.
Updates articles in the main series and adds material on new authors.
REFERENCE PN501 .E9 1983
European writers. Edited by W. T. H. Jackson. New York: Scribner, 1983-91.
Each volume covers a different literary period, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Articles are long and in-depth, and include bibliographies. Most articles deal with individual authors, but there are some dealing with anonymous works of literature, genres, and groups of writers. A separate index volume lists the subjects of articles alphabetically, chronologically, and by language, and indexes titles of works, themes, and persons mentioned in the articles.
REFERENCE PN451 .L37 1994
Larousse dictionary of writers. Edited by Rosemary Goring. 3rd ed. Edinburgh ; New York: Larousse, 1994.
Brief biographical and critical descriptions of creative writers from all periods and countries. Also included are some writers who were not creative writers themselves, but had a profound impact on creative writers.
The Pulitzer Prizes [Online]. Pulitzer Prizes, Columbia University. Available: http://www.pulitzer.org. Date of Visit: April 10, 2007.
Lists of prize winners, with news stories and pictures of winners for the most recent three years. There is also a time line which links to past years' winners.
REFERENCE PN451 .S35 1998
Scribner writers series master index. New York: Scribner’s Sons, 1998.
Indexes all of the authors appearing in the Scribner Writers Series, which includes American writers (REFERENCE PS129 .A55), Ancient writers (REFERENCE PA3002 .A5 1982), British writers (REFERENCE PR85 .B688), European writers (REFERENCE PN501 .E9 1983) and Supernatural fiction writers (REFERENCE PN3435 .S96 1985). Separate indexes list authors by genre and special subject categoreis.