Biographical Research - English 128 - 002: Major American Authors: The Way We Work (Prof. Robin Smith) - Guides at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Walt Whitman Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

(image may be subject to copyright)

Davis Chat

JavaScript disabled or chat unavailable.

Carolina BLU

Interlibrary Loan
Campus Delivery

Citing

Citing Information Tutorial

Create citations in the right format using this web form.

Use this web-based tool to manage the citations for your research projects.

Biographical & Literary Encyclopedias

Biographical Research on Major Authors can be straightforward, and the encyclopedic sources below should have information on most if not all of these authors. However, to get discussion of an author's working life, you may have to go to a full-fledged biography of him/her. (For this, see Author Biobraphies, below.)

American National Biography (Oxford databses may be slow to load.)

"The American National Biography highlights the lives of over 18,000 persons who have been important and influential in the history of the United States, from the early days of European exploration to the present." The ANB includes only deceased persons.

Literature Resource Center

The LRC provides biographical and critical information on many authors. It includes the text of the more than 350 volumes of the Dictionary of Literary Biography. Search for Person By or About -- and then select Biographies (e.g., Catharine Beecher).

Oxford African American Studies Center

Use this Oxford database for additional information on Harriet Wilson & Charles Chesnutt.

The Oxford encyclopedia of American literature

Includes information on individual authors, literary movements, etc.