 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press for theAmerican Council of Learned Societies |
| Published |
|
| Media type | Print, Digital |
| No. of books | 26 |
| Preceded by | Dictionary of American Biography |
| Website | www |
TheAmerican National Biography (ANB) is a 24-volumebiographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries[1] and 20 million words,[2] first published in 1999 byOxford University Press under the auspices of theAmerican Council of Learned Societies.
A supplement with more than 400 new biographies appeared in 2002, and a second supplement of over 500 new biographies appeared in 2005.[3][4] Additional funding came from theRockefeller Foundation, theAndrew W. Mellon Foundation and theNational Endowment for the Humanities.[5]
TheANB bills itself as the successor of theDictionary of American Biography, which was first published between 1926 and 1937. It is not, however, a strictsuperset 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).
In 1999, theAmerican Library Association awarded theAmerican National Biography itsDartmouth Medal[9] as a reference work of outstanding quality and significance. TheAmerican Historical Association's Waldo G. Leland Prize was awarded for 2001.[10]
It has been criticized for missingcross references and occasional errors,[11] and for its cost, which is said to limit availability in poor countries.[12]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)OCLC 39182280.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)LCCN 201001260 201-1260;ISBN 978-0-231-15085-9;OCLC 1193553990 (all editions).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)ISBN 978-0-4957-9964-1;OCLC 760860482 (all editions).