This book contains over 10,000 alphabetically arranged biographies of people from all walks of life, at all periods of time, and from every part of the globe.

Unlike many other biographical dictionaries, this volume contains numerous biographies of those who are still living. Particular attention has been paid to the 20th century’s leading figures in the worlds of politics, the arts, the sciences, and technology.

The international and tropical coverage is supplemented by more than 2,000 quotations, both ancient and modern – words by or about the people in this book. The quotations, selected by scholars and other experts, give an apt picture of the subject in a few words.

Many of the biographies of the more well-known figures are accompanied by a bibliography, to guide readers on to the best, most thought-provoking and enjoyable biographies and memoirs. There are also 400 illustrations.

At the end of the book is a unique chronological index where every person included is listed by the years in which they lived, so that contemporaries can be readily identified.

This book is a highly authoritative tool as well as a delight to browse in.

Helicon, 1996, 1046 pages, illustrated