The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography [Hardcover]

John S. Bowman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521402581 | ISBN-13: 978-0521402583 | Publication Date: May 26, 1995 | Edition: 1

Biography is an endlessly fascinating subject for a wide variety of readers. The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography is the most up-to-date and comprehensive, single-volume, biographical reference of living and dead Americans available. The book contains 9,000 entries written for general readers in fluid narrative style. Each entry is self-contained and does not assume any historic or geographic knowledge. What sets this book apart is its breadth of coverage--living and dead, famous and forgotten American figures, of diverse careers, from colonial times to the present day--and its attention to women and minority groups. The Dictionary has been originally compiled--not derived from older work--with the help of over one-hundred consultants. It also contains two exceptionally useful indexes: one by occupation and the other by names mentioned in the entries (whether or not they are entries themselves). The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography is written for anyone interested in owning an eminently readable reference to living contemporaries and their achievements as well as to historically important figures. John Bowman, an accomplished author and editor, has been assisted by an editoral board of distinguished American scholars.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is both a valuable addition to existing American biographical dictionaries and a summary of individuals currently deemed important to the development of American society. Over 40 scholars contributed informative entries on 9000 individuals from political, military, social, cultural, and economic realms as well as from popular culture. Entries include living and deceased figures, figures active in illegal careers such as robbery and gambling, and a large number of women and representatives from minority groups. Name and occupation indexes help readers find entries for all individuals named in the book as well as those in the same professions. This work compares quite favorably with such single-volume titles as The Concise Dictionary of American Biography: Complete to 1970 (LJ 3/15/91) and the more expansive Cambridge Biographical Dictionary (LJ 1/91), while updating Webster's Biographical Dictionary (1976) and The Encyclopedia of American Biography (1974). Based on overall coverage and quality, this work is recommended for all libraries.?Stephen L. Hupp, Capital Univ. Lib., Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This massive work of 9,000 entries attempts to bring together in one place all important as well as not quite so important figures in American life. Addressing all periods of American history and all fields of endeavor, it takes care to include a large number of women and members of minority groups.

More than 40 scholars helped select the biographees. In addition to politics and the military, people are included from the fields of science, academia, the arts and humanities, education, sports, popular culture, and even the underworld, such as John Dillinger. While coverage begins in colonial times, more than 25 percent of the biographees are still living. The brief entries are clear and easy to read, beginning with birth and death information. Entries vary in length according to the person's importance. Pianist John Browning gets three lines, FDR gets a half a page. Entries are similar to those in the Concise Dictionary of American Biography (4th ed., Scribner, 1990), which covers 18,000 Americans who died by the end of 1970. Like the Concise DAB, entries in Cambridge are indexed by occupation. A name index in Cambridge lists persons mentioned in a biography of someone else. As is always the case with books of this sort, one can question coverage. Why is Louise Erdrich included and not Michael Dorris? Why Barbara Tuchman and not Garry Wills?

An informative introduction provides insight into the overall makeup of the book. Those libraries already owning the Concise Dictionary of American Biography will still want to add this work to their collections based on its inclusiveness and currency.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 941 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (May 26, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521402581
• ISBN-13: 978-0521402583
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,220,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, September 26, 2009

By 

Edda I. Lopez (San Juan, Puerto Rco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography (Hardcover)

I found this publication while looking for a book written by Ruben Berrios Martinez. The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography mistakingly states that Mr. Berrios Martinez was born in 1930 and died in 1993. In addition, the reviewed excerpt states that Mr. Berrios Martinez was the Puerto Rico Independence Party until 1993. Both factoids are false. First, Mr. Berrios Martinez was born in 1938 and is gladly alive and well. Furthermore, he is still the President of the Puerto Rico Independence Party. Among Mr. Berrios Martinez's contributions, he is one of the founding members of the COPPPAL (Conferencia Permanente de Partidos Politicos de America Latina), is a respected and reputed member of the Socialist International. While I was focused on Mr. Berrios Martinez's biography, I wonder how many more inaccurate facts are included in this publication. So much for the "dictionary".The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography