Dictionary of American Biography

Dictionary of American Biography is a comprehensive reference work that chronicles the lives of significant figures in American history, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson. The dictionary was first published in 1927 and was edited by Allen Johnson and Dumas Malone, who were both renowned historians and scholars at Harvard University and Yale University. The work features biographies of notable individuals such as Benjamin Franklin, Robert E. Lee, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, and provides insights into the lives of lesser-known figures like Mary Todd Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The dictionary is considered a seminal work in the field of American studies and has been widely used by scholars and researchers at institutions like Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley.

● History

The concept of a comprehensive dictionary of American biography was first proposed by William Roscoe Thayer, a historian and biographer who had written extensively on European history and American history. Thayer's idea was later developed by Allen Johnson, who became the first editor of the dictionary and worked closely with Dumas Malone to bring the project to fruition. The dictionary was published in 20 volumes between 1927 and 1936, with each volume featuring biographies of notable individuals like Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt. The dictionary also includes entries on notable events like the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the Great Depression, as well as institutions like the Library of Congress and the National Archives.

● Publication

The dictionary was published by Charles Scribner's Sons, a prominent publishing house that had previously published works by notable authors like Edith Wharton and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The publication of the dictionary was a major undertaking that involved the collaboration of numerous scholars and researchers from institutions like Columbia University and University of Chicago. The dictionary was initially published in a series of 20 volumes, with each volume featuring approximately 500 biographies of notable individuals like Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The dictionary has since been reprinted and updated several times, with new editions featuring additional biographies of notable individuals like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X.

● Content

The dictionary features biographies of over 15,000 notable individuals who have played a significant role in American history, including politicians like Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, writers like Herman Melville and Henry James, and artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Jackson Pollock. The biographies are written by prominent scholars and researchers from institutions like Princeton University and University of Michigan, and provide insights into the lives and achievements of notable individuals like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. The dictionary also includes entries on notable events like the Louisiana Purchase, the Mexican-American War, and the Spanish-American War, as well as institutions like the Supreme Court of the United States and the Federal Reserve System.

● Editorial Process

The editorial process for the dictionary was rigorous and involved the collaboration of numerous scholars and researchers from institutions like University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. The editors worked closely with contributors to ensure that the biographies were accurate and comprehensive, and that they met the highest standards of scholarship. The dictionary features biographies of notable individuals like Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Charles Darwin, who have made significant contributions to science and technology. The editors also worked to ensure that the dictionary was inclusive and featured biographies of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including African Americans like W.E.B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes, and women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

● Impact and Reception

The dictionary has had a significant impact on the field of American studies and has been widely praised by scholars and researchers for its comprehensiveness and accuracy. The dictionary has been used by scholars and researchers at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Institute of Technology to study notable individuals like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. The dictionary has also been recognized for its contributions to the field of biography and has been awarded numerous prizes and awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. The dictionary has been widely reviewed and praised by scholars and critics, including Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and C. Vann Woodward, who have written extensively on American history and Southern history.

● Notable Contributors

The dictionary features contributions from numerous prominent scholars and researchers, including Dumas Malone, who wrote extensively on Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Other notable contributors include Allan Nevins, who wrote on Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee, and Arthur Schlesinger Jr., who wrote on Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt. The dictionary also features contributions from notable scholars like C. Vann Woodward, who wrote on Southern history and Civil War history, and David Herbert Donald, who wrote on Abraham Lincoln and American history. The dictionary has been widely praised for its contributions to the field of American studies and has been recognized for its excellence by institutions like American Historical Association and Organization of American Historians.