Encyclopedia of American Biography

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From the Introduction
"This encyclopedia brings together within the covers of one book descriptions and evaluations of the lives of more than one thousand persons. Librarians will no doubt classify it as a work of reference and we have certainly designed it with that function in mind. It is full of facts and dates. But it is more than a storehouse of information organized for the convenience of anyone who wants to look up the date of Herman Melville's birth or the year that Daniel Webster delivered his 'Seventh of March' speech. It is also a compendium of informed opinion intended to aid readers who want to know the whys, not merely the whats, about the significant figures of our history.
"The volume, in short, was conceived with all the needs of those who turn to biographical encyclopedias in mind, needs which we—as inveterate users of such encyclopedias—believe we understand. It differs in several respects from works which it superficially resembles because most of these fail... Tovább

Fülszöveg

From the Introduction
"This encyclopedia brings together within the covers of one book descriptions and evaluations of the lives of more than one thousand persons. Librarians will no doubt classify it as a work of reference and we have certainly designed it with that function in mind. It is full of facts and dates. But it is more than a storehouse of information organized for the convenience of anyone who wants to look up the date of Herman Melville's birth or the year that Daniel Webster delivered his 'Seventh of March' speech. It is also a compendium of informed opinion intended to aid readers who want to know the whys, not merely the whats, about the significant figures of our history.
"The volume, in short, was conceived with all the needs of those who turn to biographical encyclopedias in mind, needs which we—as inveterate users of such encyclopedias—believe we understand. It differs in several respects from works which it superficially resembles because most of these fail to fulfill the different purposes of readers.
"The most striking innovation in this book is the way entries are constructed. Each is divided into two parts. The first part attempts to be completely objective—to stick, in other words, to facts. It begins with the subject's full name, place and date of birth and death, and principal occupation. There follows a summary of the subject's life arranged chronologically: education, major stages of career (political affiliation and oflBces held by statesmen, books vinritten by novelists, discoveries of inventors and scientists, and the like) and, finally, for living persons, present activity.
"The second part of each entry attempts to evaluate the total career of the subject, to explain why the individual is important, and to provide some sense of what he or she was like as a human being. Each interpretive essay was written by someone with specialized knowledge of the subject. The authors' names are appended to the essays along with the title of the book or article that, in their opinion, is the most convenient and reliable source for further information on the person in question.
"This encyclopedia differs from most others also in that it contains articles on living persons as well as on significant figures of the past. We have rejected the line of reasoning that says it is too soon to evaluate contemporaries or even to know who among them are really important. We have done so on the ground that all historical judgments, not merely those of persons close to our ovm time, are relatively impermanent, limited by ignorance, and subject to human error. This being the case, why eliminate the living?"
Encyclopedia of American Biography
Edited by John A. Garraty and Jerome L. Sternstein
This is the only modem one-volmne encyclopedia of American biography. Written by experts, this large (1,242 pages) and meticulously researched volume includes more than 1,000 notable Americans who have contributed to our history and culture from Columbus to the present day.
A unique feature is its organization. Each biographical entry is in two parts —a factual summary of the subject's life arranged chronologically, followed by an interpretive essay. Another feature is that living persons as well as significant figures of the past are among those included.
Up to date in terms of facts and scholarship, this encyclopedia lists important women, members of minority groups, business leaders, and scientists —categories often slighted in other reference works. Some of the contributors are David Ewen, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Brooks Atkinson, Margaret L. Coit, H. Stuart Hughes, Leonard W. Levy, Marcus Cunliffe, Staughton Lynd, Peter Gay, Broadus Mitchell, Helena B. Weinberg, David Aaron, Louis Filler. This is an important and valuable reference for students, teachers, librarians—and an essential volume for the home library.
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